Growing Up
by Dawn Bently
Summary: Though their Hogwarts years, Scorpius and Lily realize that with age comes irreversible changes. While not all changes are necessarily favorable, they quickly learn to appreciate the changes that are definitely worth the wait.
1. Chapter 1

She was only nine when she first met him. He was almost twelve and had just survived his first year at Hogwarts. Of course, his father and Mr. Potter had assured him many times that the later years of Hogwarts were definitely much more difficult, young Scorpius Malfoy had yet to be convinced. He was fairly certain the first year was the hardest. He didn't know what was wrong with his father and Albus', but they were totally wrong.

Though Scorpius had made friends throughout the year, it wasn't quite everything he'd imagined. The Slytherin dungeons were not cold and lifeless, or at least that was what he'd been told by Slytherins in his year. Defying logic, as it would seem, Scorpius Malfoy had been placed in Ravenclaw, and was to date the only Malfoy not to be in Slytherin. Of course, he'd lost any respect from his peers in Slytherin who had written him off as a Greengrass, but Scorpius couldn't really pinpoint the problem in taking after his mother's heritage. Sure, his father might've been up in arms the first month, but eventually he got over it. It seemed not many others had, though.

Albus, who eventually became Scorpius' closest friend, was promptly placed in Gryffindor, and had tried to explain the pride of being a Potter in Gryffindor to Scorpius. The blonde was not grasping the idea, and eventually Albus gave up. Scorpius was simply not the type to put much stock in the decision of a charmed hat. Perhaps he was his mother's son after all.

After the pair had escaped the clutches of their professors, Albus quickly ran from the red train to greet his waiting parents. Lily had wanted to hug her favorite brother, but Albus paid her no attention as he called Scorpius over. At first, little Lily had resented Scorpius as she glared up at the blonde boy with narrowed blue eyes. Before Hogwarts, Albus had fawned over her, and now she'd been replaced. And by a boy, no less.

Though Ginny and Harry had heard a lot about the young Malfoy, but they had never met him in person. Both were pleasantly surprised by the boy's genuine smile and shy nature. He resembled his father so closely that it was almost odd for the couple to see his face contorted into an actual smile instead of some smirk. And his father had never been so calm and collected either.

After some insisting, Albus convinced his parents to let Scorpius spend a part of the summer at the Potter house and after Albus would venture into the Malfoy world with Scorpius. Of course, they had to get permission from Scorpius' parents as well, which wasn't too difficult a task to complete. If their son was going to spend time anywhere other than home and Hogwarts, the Potter house was as safe as it was going to get.

When Scorpius first arrived, Lily hadn't been very fond of him, and James enjoyed having a second person around to pick on and irritate. Lily was actually bored with Scorpius around the house, because instead of having Albus to play and interact with, she was left alone. And she'd already entertained herself as much as she could with her parents during the school year. The summer was supposed to be for her and Albus, but Scorpius had effectively ruined that.

Ginny and Harry were not oblivious to their young daughter's outlook on Albus' social life, but it was fairly harmless. With four children to care for, they didn't really want to intervene and risk creating more problems than those that currently existed. So they simply stood by watching Lily master the glare as she was forced to sit beside Scorpius. He, too, noticed her behavior, but as the polite well-mannered boy he was, he simply ignored it. He didn't ignore her, just the way she ignored him.

Eventually, the day came when Albus and James would have to go see their grandparents after being away for all of the school year. Ginny had decided to take the boys so that Scorpius could spend time with Harry learning how to master some basic flying techniques. She felt it was probably easier on her family as well as on Scorpius if he didn't accompany them to the Weasley house. Lily had also opted to stay home. She saw her numerous aunts, uncles, young cousins, and grandparents frequently during the school year and wasn't up for another trip. Besides, everyone was too busy fawning over recently returned cousins from Hogwarts to notice her.

Though she was young, her father was teaching her how to fly as well, so long as she promised to keep it a secret from her mother. Neither wanted to repeat the mistake of teaching James to fly at an early age. Well, actually, Harry had taught Albus to fly before Hogwarts also, but he'd learned from mistakes and by the third child, he'd perfected the art. He wasn't sure how well it was going to work, but he decided to have Scorpius and Lily practice their flying together, Scorpius on Albus' broom and Lily on an old spare one he'd shrunk to fit her small size.

Scorpius took to flying very well, and Harry noticed the pair actually matched up decently. Lily did take after her mother in many ways, only one of which was her natural talent of flying. As the pair zoomed through the air over the empty space near the Potter house, Harry only watched to make sure nobody fell off of their broom. He was glad they were just school children, because the way Lily glared at Scorpius made him nervous of what could happen if she carried her own wand. After all, she was her mother's daughter.

Eventually, Scorpius flew down to the ground and landed with more grace than Harry had expected. It had taken Albus quite a while to stop slowly, and the first few times he'd actually managed to throw himself from the broom. Following behind him, Lily hovered just over the ground, as she stared at him.

"Everything ok?" Harry asked as he neared the pair and Lily turned to him.

"I'm just tired." Scorpius answered.

"He's just slow." Lily commented and Harry drew in a breath as he turned to Lily. He couldn't recall if Ginny had that sharp of a tongue, but she'd been so shy around him as a child that she was almost nonexistent until years later.

"Lily, that's not a nice thing to say." Harry said and Lily's face contorted as she turned away and stared up at the sky like the stubborn child she was.

"I can beat him in a race." Lily declared confidently as she turned to Scorpius and he turned back to her. In the short time Harry had been around Scorpius, he had never seen him get so angry. So far, he'd been more than accepting of Lily's behavior, but Lily had finally pushed him too far.

"No you couldn't!" Scorpius argued back, and Harry had no intention of intervening. Perhaps he shouldn't let children argue, but he already raised two boys through their younger more troublesome years. If he'd learned anything at all, it was that a single argument rarely changed anything.

"Then prove it!"

"Well," Harry said and the two turned to him. "Why don't you face out to the tree?" He purposed as he pointed to the large tree in the distance. It wasn't too far, but far enough to where their childish arguing would be out of earshot. He'd had his share of arguments, but he could not remember ever arguing about such trivial things that his children had argued about on what seemed like a daily basis. Ginny only said it was part of having a big family, and Harry was inclined to agree.

"Ok." Scorpius agreed as he climbed onto his broom and kicked off of the ground. He wobbled slightly as he hovered, but Harry knew a little wobbling wasn't any indicator of slow flying. Lily, who had much less experience with flying, pointed her broom towards the tree confidently. After Harry counted to three, the two zoomed off.

Scorpius had quickly pulled ahead of Lily. His form was simply better than Lily's, even though she weighed significantly less than the older boy. Scorpius' hands were together on the broom stick and further up than Lily's. Lily was only nine, and Harry hadn't yet taught her proper form for speed flying. As they neared the halfway mark, Harry noticed Lily had begun to catch up to Scorpius, but as he turned to the boy, he saw Scorpius starting to straighten his back slowly. As he moved to a more upright position, his hands moved closer to his body, and he slowed down enough for Lily to catch him. For the majority of the way left to the tree, Scorpius kept Lily's pace easily until the very end when he slowed again.

"I told you I'd win!" Lily declared as she turned around and stared at Scorpius. Harry stared at Scorpius with narrowed eyes, but Scorpius didn't turn to Harry. He only shrugged his shoulders as he touched down to the ground.

"You're a really fast flyer, Lily. You should play Quidditch when you go to Hogwarts." Scorpius commented and Harry did his best not to let a dry laugh pass his lips. He knew Scorpius' father had been manipulative and conniving, and it seemed Scorpius had inherited those traits. The glaring difference, however, was how Scorpius put them to use. Harry had never been in favor of letting people win for the sake of ending an argument, but when a nine year old little girl competing for her brother's attention was involved, he was sure exception could be made. Or perhaps it was simply because she was his daughter and Scorpius had still been nice to her when she hadn't deserved it.

"I want to be in Gryffindor." Lily declared as she touched to the ground as well and sat on the grass in the shade of the tree. Scorpius sat in front of her as he smiled and nodded.

"Like your brothers?"

"Like everyone!"

"It's not bad to be in another House, though." Scorpius commented, his voice carrying something Lily was too young and naive to understand.

"I'll go get us some drinks," Harry told them and they both nodded and smiled at him before he started to fly back to the house. Peering over his shoulder, he watched the pair talking and smiling, and it seemed that their arguing had finally ended. He took his time getting drinks for the two children, but it seemed they hadn't noticed at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Ten year old Lily stood between her parents outside one of the stores in Diagon Alley. She was twisting back and forth as she peered around at her surroundings. She loved watching everyone walking on the cobblestone paths dressed in dark cloaks. As she watched everyone, she stared at their arms, curious as to what they carried. Some had brown packages, other held books, and a few even had animals. As usual, she also wondered what House they'd been sorted into. She wondered which were Gryffindors and which were Slytherins. She wanted to know so much about the trivial tings of Hogwarts, but only because she wasn't old enough to know some things weren't as important as she made them out to be.

As she turned her attention back to her parents, she stared up at them, but neither noticed her staring. They were far too busy with the number of reporters crowded around the three, but Lily knew none of the attention was for her. She didn't know why so many people wanted pictures of her parents, but she'd given up on asking. They'd told their children about the war, but not much else. They'd wanted a regular childhood for them, but it was difficult whenever they appeared in well populated places in the Wizarding World.

"Daddy!" Lily called as she tugged on his coat sleeve. When he peered down at her, he noticed her staring off at one of the nearby stores. He shifted the large box he was carrying to his other arm as he turned towards Lily more completely. "Can we send something for Scorpius, too?" She asked as she looked into his eyes before she looked back to the store again. When Harry turned in the direction she was looking, he laughed at the sight of the candy store.

"Of course we can." He answered as he reached into his pocket with his free hand. She heard the coin jingle as he pulled some out and dropped a good amount into her cupped hands. "Why don't you go pick some things out for him, Lily?" He suggested and she smiled brightly before she ran into the nearby store. Harry watched her for another moment, while she appeared in the window of the store looking up at all the things too high on the shelves.

It seemed Harry had nearly forgotten about the reporters who had ended his nice family outing. Ginny was more than capable of handling it, but eventually she became distracted by Lily as well. After only a few more questions and photos, the pair followed Lily into the store where she'd picked out far more than Harry's few coins would cover.

"It's not enough, Miss." The kindly older man behind the counter said as he looked down at Lily with warm eyes. She only narrowed her eyes at him as she pressed her lips together. She was definitely her mother's daughter. "You'll have to put something back."

"But that's everything," Lily replied and Harry laughed. Lily did not look back at him, and once she knew he wouldn't give her anymore coins, she pushed herself up onto her toes to look at everything she'd put up on the counter. "That one, then." She said softly as she pointed to one sugary treat. With a laugh, the man pulled it to the side before he put all of Scorpius' treats into a bag and handed it to Lily.

"I trust I'll see you again next year, Miss Potter."

"I'll be at Hogwarts!"

"Already?" He asked as he turned his eyes to Harry and Ginny.

"Already." Harry agreed with a heavy sigh and the man laughed as he waved goodbye. It was a short trip home, where the three divided the things going to Scorpius and the things going to Albus and James. As was tradition, Lily wrote her letters to her brothers, as she and Albus had for James, except she was the only one left at home. In addition, she wrote a letter to Scorpius, too, and her mother placed it in Scorpius' care package.

Ginny had some idea what Lily thought of Scorpius, but she'd convinced herself that ten was far too young to be so fascinated with anyone of the other sex. Then again, Ginny often forced herself to take a deep breath as she recalled her first childhood crush. As she addressed the package to shy, smart, and completely well mannered Scorpius Malfoy, she couldn't stop herself from wondering what was so bad about the prospect of him as her future son-in-law. In all, he wasn't a terribly bad choice, at least at twelve.

A few weeks later when the owls arrived, Lily ran over to the window eagerly. Her father reached them first and was taking the letters from the birds' beaks before he handed them to Ginny. He gave a small treat to each bird before he pet them and let them fly away.

"These are from James and Albus." Ginny said excitedly as she passed them to Harry to open the envelopes. There was generally a separate letter for each person.

"What's that one?" Harry asked curiously as he handed Lily her letter from James.

"From Scorpius." Ginny answered as she peered at the center of the envelope again. "For Lily." She smiled as she looked at Lily and handed the unopened envelope to the young girl. She quickly set aside James' letter to open Scorpius' and Harry placed Albus' letter to her with James'.

**X**

His roommates had gone somewhere, and after their first year, they had given up on including Scorpius in their plans. As such, Scorpius sat alone on his bed, enjoying the silence around him. Of course, he enjoyed Albus' company, but Albus had a way of involving them in big social scenes that Scorpius was perfectly happy without. In his time alone, Scorpius pulled the box from the Potters from beneath his bed and began to poke through everything they had sent him.

The majority of the items were sweets and treats, but he did come across a practice snitch towards the bottom on the package. He figured Lily had picked out all the candies, because that was often what she chose for her brothers as well, while Harry had thrown in a small snitch as well.

Scorpius began to eat one of the sweets as he held the snitch in his hand. Playing Quidditch had never really occurred to him until he stared at the shiny side of the golden ball. He knew Albus wanted desperately to play as Gryffindor's seeker, but he often practiced with James, who was a Chaser. Scorpius had a feeling their father had wanted one of them to play as a seeker, but it appear both were following their mother in regards to Quidditch.

Eventually, Scorpius decided to sit in on the Ravenclaw practices. They weren't quite as secretive about Quidditch as the other Houses, and welcomed Scorpius' presence so long as he didn't serve as a distraction. After watching so many practices, they handed the small boy a broom and let him fly with them after the most intense session of the practice.

It took only a few weeks before the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain went to Professor Longbottom, Head of the Ravenclaw House, to ask permission to add the second year to their second line up of Chasers. He wasn't quite as big as the other players, because of his age, but Scorpius was must faster than they had expected. With some training and practice, they hoped they could have a Chaser to match James' speed and agility. James wasn't quite the best Chaser on the Gryffindor team at only thirteen, but James had potential that hopefully could be matched by Scorpius.

He didn't play in a game that year, but Albus felt competition nonetheless from his closest friend. For the rest of their second year, and into the summer, Albus and James trained as Chasers so that Albus could join the Quidditch team as well. As they practiced over the empty field behind the Potter house, Scorpius and Lily watched from the small seating area near the back of the house.

"How did you get on the team already?" Lily asked simply as she kept her eyes on her brothers. "James barely made it this year."

"I didn't tryout." Scorpius admitted as he shrugged. "I was just curious what it was like."

"You didn't even want to play?"

"Not really. But I really like it now."

"Why did you go then?" Lily asked as she faced him with narrowed eyes.

"You dad sent me a snitch." Scorpius answered as he looked at her as well. "So I went to the Quidditch pitch and they had me help them with the Chasers."

"That's it?" Lily asked and Scorpius nodded. With a breath, Lily turned back to her brothers practicing in the distance. She could hear them yelling at each other, but they weren't arguing. Lily knew them well enough to know the two rarely had normal conversations. The only way they seemed able to communicate was through yelling.

"I don't know what position I want to play." Lily said. "I wanted to be a Chaser, too, but if James and Albus are Chasers, there's only one spot left."

"You may not be in Gryffindor." Scorpius pointed out and Lily faced him. She wasn't defensive about her future sorting the way she had been in the past. "And just because your family has been in one House, doesn't mean you have to also."

"I don't know what other House I would be in." Lily admitted as she started to blush.

"You could be in Ravenclaw with me." He answered and Lily quickly turned away from him.

"Did you want to be in Ravenclaw?" She asked softly. Scorpius stared at Lily for a moment witch quizzical eyes. In the silence, she turned back to him.

"I didn't really want any one House over another. The Hat sorted me based on who I was, not what I wanted."

"Do you like the Ravenclaw House?" Lily asked.

"Yes." Lily nodded at his answer as she turned away again to watch her brothers. She didn't really know what to say, but Scorpius didn't mind the silence anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

Lily sat stunned on the small stool while the hat was removed from her small head. She could hear clapping echoing through the Great Hall, but it wasn't from her far left like she'd always imagined her sorting would be like. Instead, the Gryffindor table was silent and it was the Ravenclaw table clapping for their newest addition. Slowly, Lily stepped down from the stool and approached the Ravenclaw table before taking a seat beside a girl who had been sorted before her.

As the sorting continued, everybody's attention turned to the next unfortunate soul forced to sit in front of the entire school. Despite that, Lily felt as though every set of eyes had not yet turned away from her, and everyone was still wondering how a Potter wound up in any House other than Gryffindor. As she peered down the long Ravenclaw table, she was relieved to find that the majority were watching the sorting and not her. All but one, of course. While Lily didn't want any eyes on her at all, Scorpius' smile was actually comforting.

After returning the smile, she peered over her shoulder, and quickly spotted Albus and James. Both were staring at her as well, and she could tell just from their expressions that Albus was much more accepting of a Ravenclaw sister than James. She soon turned away from their stares, and was quickly caught up in conversation with the young girl beside her.

Within only a few weeks of school, Lily made a number of friends. A good majority of them were fellow Ravenclaws, but she had friends in every House. Anne, the young girl beside her during the sorting, had quickly become her closest friend, and like Albus and Scorpius, one was rarely spotted without the other. Only when the two sets of friends were separated was in the early morning. Albus liked to sleep and Anne had class, leaving Scorpius and Lily bored until their classes started later in the day.

To pass the time, Scorpius suggested practicing Quidditch. He'd been told that he would finally play in a game during the school year, and Lily had always been so excited to finally play Quidditch. Though their Quidditch sessions were not as intense as real practices, they had fun playing around the pitch throwing the quaffle around.

They took turns playing Chaser and Keeper, and Scorpius proved to be a much more talented Keeper than Lily, but Lily also proved herself to be a promising Chaser. At Scorpius' insistence, Lily attended tryouts and much to her surprise, she was added as a reserve Chaser. In Albus' mocking tone, he explained to Lily it meant Ravenclaw's real Chaser, as well as Scorpius, must get sick or injured, before she even saw the light of day as a Quidditch player. James only laughed at the idea of his tiny sister playing Chase against him. With Scorpius and Anne's support, Lily took their mocking in stride and attended every practice.

Tired and finally clean, Lily returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room after showering in her room. It had been a stormy week, leaving the Quidditch pitch muddy for their practice. Even though she wouldn't play that year, Lily still took practices as seriously as any other player.

Sitting on the couch by the fire, Scorpius appeared to by falling asleep. Anne was seated on the ground near his legs while she wrote on a piece of parchment on the small table. As Lily approached the two, Scorpius peered at her before he laid his head back again.

"Long practice I take it?" Anne asked and Lily only let out a huff of air as she sat beside Scorpius.

"She fell from above the hoops." Scorpius commented and Anne quickly turned to Lily with wide eyes.

"I'm fine." Lily responded promptly, but Anne had clearly not been convinced. "Just a few scratches."

"You nearly broke an arm." Scorpius commented as he lifted his head to stare at Lily, who only shrugged.

"A broom would be harder to fix."

Scorpius laughed and Lily smiled but Anne stared at the two in what appeared to be a perpetual state of fear for their safety.

"Anne, it was an accident." Lily said as she turned to the girl. Anne only drew in a breath as she tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. "And if anything happens, we just go to the infirmary anyway."

Anne remained silent as she stared at the two. When she realized they would never take the possibility of severe injury seriously, she forced herself to continue working on her homework. Scorpius turned to Lily, and the two quickly started their own conversation with Anne acting as a third party listening in.

"I never asked you," Scorpius commented as he sat up straighter. His eyes opened and he appeared to be more awake as he turned his full attention to Lily. "Did you tell the Hat what House you wanted?"

Lily laughed as she turned away from Scorpius and stared into the fire. Eventually she shook her head and turned back to his gaze. "I let it sort me by itself."

"I'm surprised." Scorpius admitted with a laugh as he turned to the fire. Lily's gaze went to Anne and what she was working on, but both were in tune with one another. "You used to be hell bent on Gryffindor."

"I know." Lily answered as a blush slowly crept onto her cheeks. "But there was only one opening for Chaser on the Gryffindor team, anyway."

Anne rolled her eyes and shook her head, but didn't comment. Lily and Scorpius took notice of her response regardless and even snicker silently behind her gaze.

"And Ravenclaw has its perks." Lily added with a shrug. "I don't think I would like to have both of my brothers so close that they could find me whenever they pleased."

"This is the best place to hide from Albus." Scorpius commented and the two started to laugh. Anne finished writing her assignment and turned back to the pair with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Albus is funny." She said in a slightly defensive tone. Lily had thought nothing of it, but Scorpius stared at Anne curiously.

"Do you have a crush on Albus, Anne?" He asked boldly, and grinned as her cheeks turned a bright red. Compared to her blonde locks and soft blue eyes, her cheeks caught quite a bit of attention even as she tried to turn away and hide from Scorpius and Lily.

"It's ok." Scorpius added when Lily said nothing except hold back her laughter. "He's a good guy."

"Shut up." Anne said strongly as she turned her back to the laughing pair and pretended to continue working on her paper. She was glad Lily had said nothing about the topic, because Anne could see the odd relationship that had developed between Lily and her brother's best friend. In that moment, it seemed the two friends had made a silent agreement not to tease one another about their choices regarding the opposite sex.

By the end of the school year, Lily's skills as a Chaser had improved far more than Scorpius had ever expected. He only played in one game when a starting Chaser had been injured, and Lily had been more than excited to watch Scorpius fly past James during the game.

Like Scorpius had two years ago, Anne was welcomed to the Potter house for an extended period of time. Scorpius and Albus were there as well, but only because James had left for the first half of the summer. To improve his skills as a Chaser, and a Seeker, he'd signed up for a Quidditch program.

Replacing James, Scorpius flew around the field with Albus, the two attempting to improve their skills. Lily would've joined the pair, but she remained on solid ground with Anne, who was never comfortable unless both feet were firmly on the ground.

After a few weeks, Scorpius and Anne returned to their homes, but James had yet to return from Quidditch training. As such, Albus and Lily were able to reconnect, and reestablish the close relationship they had shared before Hogwarts. For fun, the two had taken the invisibility cloak, which was rightfully James', and tried to think up as many entertaining things as they could.

It was on accident that they had found a mysterious piece of parchment fairly well hidden in their parent's shared desk. After some fumbling, they had deemed it useless and casted it aside until they had the chance to put it back. It was useless to them, but neither wanted their parents to notice it's absence, after all it had been there for a reason.

Soon after, their cousin Victorie Weasley and Teddy Lupin, a man close enough to be a cousin, but that was weird because they were dating, came to visit the Potters. It was with Teddy's pure genius that showed Lily and Albus how to work the old map. At the time they didn't question how Teddy knew to operate it, but towards the end of the summer they came to a realization. The "Moony" referenced in the beginning of the map had been his father, just as "Prongs" had been their grandfather. Of course, it had taken James' expertise on the matter to enlighten his two lost siblings.

Nonetheless, James hadn't asked how the pair found the map, and didn't notice the relocation of his cloak so he let them decide who to keep the map. Eventually, Albus won the argument, claiming some excuse Lily hadn't believed enough to remember. She figured she'd get it back eventually anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

One of Ravenclaw's Chasers had finished their seven years at Hogwarts so in Scorpius' fourth year, he was a starting Chaser. Albus had become one of Gryffindor's starting players as well, joining his brother in the lineup. Lily was always on hand should anything happen to Scorpius or the other two Chasers that year, but she wasn't alone. A boy named Alex Michaels had joined her as a Chaser. He was a year ahead of Lily, but the two hadn't met until after he made it through tryouts.

With long black hair, dark brown eyes, and fairly broad shoulders, Alex appeared to be the very opposite of slim Scorpius, but Lily adored how alike the two were. Like Scorpius, Alex appeared somewhat shallow or hollow from the outside, but both had a depth only those closest to them experienced. While Scorpius played in games, Lily sat with Alex on the side watching, but the two mostly talked.

On weekends, Lily spent her time with Anne and Alex, neither of whom were interested or able to go to Hogsmead. Scorpius, however, frequented the small town often with James and Albus. Lily had wanted to go with them, but as a second year, she was not yet able to. After some bribery and compromises, James handed over their father's invisibility cloak while Albus gave over the school map.

With the help of the magical devices, Lily found her way to Hogsmead. Anne had opted out of such a disrespect of the rules, and Alex didn't say anything about the matter. He chose to stay back and keep Anne company while Lily joined Scorpius and her brothers, all of whom half expected Lily to find a way to get what she wanted despite any rules.

It's so clear in that moment that Potter's can't be stopped, and Scorpius Malfoy is perfectly happy letting it happen. In that regard, all four take after their father's.

It's almost predictable, really. It's the way the four sit at the table in the outside seating area of the restaurant; Scorpius and Lily on one side, Albus and James on the other. It's like Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor, except there's no competition. And everyone walking through the streets of Hogsmead can clearly see the four. Of the few who notice Lily and recognize her as a second year, too young to be at Hogsmead, none bring it to the attention of any Professor. The four may not be intimidating in the most common form of the word, but nobody really wants to play games with three Potters and a Malfoy either.

Scorpius and Lily are as Ravenclaw as they could be. Both are quite and somewhat shy. Both extremely smart. Scorpius might actually be as reserved as he appears, but only a few are daring enough to believe Lily is the same. She may be a Ravenclaw, but she's a Potter first and foremost. Perhaps more importantly, she's a Weasley, too, and Weasley's aren't known to be so quiet and soft tempers as Lily has made herself appear for the last two years.

On the red and gold side of the table, Albus and James are openly not opposed to ruining someone's day should they deserve such an ill fate. But they're both too likeable to have procured too many enemies. Mostly, they only make Chasers on the Slytherin team mad at them, not including professor who insist on assignments being completed and ready to be handed in the day they are due. Ravenclaw Chasers didn't need any extra tips from the Gryffindor lineup, and the Hufflepuffs had a Keeper to keep James and Albus in place. The Slytherins were a bit more stubborn and proud, if that was even possible.

Sophie Greene was a perfect example of the Slytherin traits. She's a year ahead of Lily, one behind Scorpius and Albus, and could definitely hold her own against the boys as a Chaser. She also doubleed as a step in Seeker, but that wasn't what she prided herself on. In Lily's words, Sophie liked to think of herself as the greatest witch to have graced Hogwarts since the inception of time.

Complete with flawless blonde hair and bright green eyes, Sophie appeared perfectly cold to Lily's eyes. Albus and James were always appreciative of such a look, and perhaps Scorpius as well enjoyed a girl with light colored hair and eyes, but he didn't say anything about Sophie Greene as she strolled through the restaurant with her Slytherin friends. It's her that notices Lily first and stopped at the edge of their table.

"You're a second year, Lily Potter."

"Glad you can count." Lily answered simply. James grinned and Albus only stared at Sophie. Scorpius decided it was best not side with either girl, and diverted his eyes to his plate.

"You're not as special as you think, Potter."

"No, not compared to you, of course." Lily's tone was mockingly light hearted as she turned away from Sophie to focus on her food. As though pretending the Slytherin wasn't there, Lily continued to eat.

With a huff, Sophie eventually turned away from the four and after a moment of odd silence, the three boys continue their meal. Lily didn't know what it was, but she could tell Sophie wasn't a person who would be an annoyance only once. For the time being, however, Sophie was quickly forgotten, and the four continued on with their lives.

As though Lily had seen the future, Sophie Greene did come back to haunt her. Helplessly, Lily and Alex, as well as the rest of the spare players for the Ravenclaw team, sat watching one their own flaw from quite a distance. His broom was a good few feet away from him and completely out of reach. Still in the air, Sophie Greene made a perfect shot, because everyone else had stopped for the fall; the fall she had caused. Lily couldn't be sure with absolute proof, but she saw as much as anyone else did. The two had been side by side, and moments later, he was in the middle of the air with no broom and she was left with a clear shot of the hoops. Lily put two and two together as did the rest of the Ravenclaw team.

As he removed from the stadium to be taken to the infirmary, the captain flew back to the second line of players. Lily and Alex were both dressed and ready to play, but Lily was obviously affected. Nonetheless, she was chosen to take his place base solely on her ability to play with Scorpius better than anyone else on the team. Nobody understood how it was possible, but Scorpius and Lily alone were better than three Chaser from any other team, even though Lily was less experienced, and Scorpius talented.

"What happened?" Lily asked as she neared Scorpius in the air. He only shook his head as he kept his eyes on the far side of the stadium. When Lily looked, she saw Sophie Green flip her long blonde hair as she shared a laugh with her teammates. Scorpius didn't answer her question, but Lily already knew the answer.

In the tower reserved for parents and visitors, Harry and Ginny couldn't feel their hearts beating. Yes, Harry had played at eleven, but he had been a Seeker. He wasn't in any direct danger of the sport. Lily was a Chaser as was quite literally in the center of all the action. Beside them, Draco and Astoria Malfoy watched Scorpius with the same uncertainty. Perhaps some of their wariness was unnecessary, but it was part of their roles as parents.

Within moments Scorpius and Lily managed enough goals to tie the game. Their third Chaser was off to the side, and aided with only a few of the shots. He mostly didn't want to interfere with the balance Scorpius and Lily kept. In some regard, they resembled Albus and James, except Scorpius and Lily were much better at working with one another than the brothers. It seemed that in no time at all, the blue and bronze side of the stadium was much louder than the Slytherin side had been during the game.

In mere moments, however, it seemed the stadium had fallen into complete silence. Scorpius had been slowed by a bludger in his direction, and Lily had foolishly continued forward without his aid. It was a perfect recreation of the last accident, complete with Sophie Greene's presence. Lily knew exactly what had made their Chaser fall prior to her entering the game, because as she peered down at her broomstick, there were two hands grasping the handle, and only one belonged to her.

"You really should've been in Slytherin, Lily Potter." Sophie uttered as though the words were a threat. "You're manipulative enough to have fit right in."

Then she pulled on Lily's broom and it appeared as though it was Lily's turn to fall.

Somewhere in the background, she heard her name. She had no idea if it was one of her brothers, or her parents, and she couldn't see Scorpius coming to her side faster than he thought he could fly. Lily, however, wasn't as foolish as the Chaser she replaced. As she began to fall, she threw the Quaffle up into the air, accidently into Scorpius' direct path, and with her free hand, she took hold of Sophie's broom.

Instantly, the two had begun to fall together, and Sophie was the one to panic first. As she attempted to pull away from Lily's grasp, Lily would not let go until her broom was safe from Sophie's wandering hands. Only when Sophie released Lily's broom did Lily do the same. With the agility that got her spot on the team, Lily pulled out and up before she hit the ground. Sophie Greene was not so lucky.

As Lily returned to Scorpius' side, Sophie crashed into the side of the bottom of the stadium. Though Lily watched as her green and silver cloak twisted in the air and her broom flew yards away, Scorpius took the opportunity to shoot at the empty hoop. He easily scored while the rest of the stadium watched Sophie take a fall.


	5. Chapter 5

The four Ravenclaws—Lily, Anne, Alex, and Scorpius—sat in the stands of the Quidditch pitch. Albus and James were flying over head with their third Gryffindor Chaser counterpart. Deryck was in the same year as Sophie and Alex, and got along with the Potters well enough. James and Albus cared for him more than Lily, but she was around him less often anyway. Anne, however, got along with Deryck much better than Lily had expected. Nonetheless, Lily and Anne, now thirteen, were starting to branch away from Lily's older brothers and their older friends. In addition to more female companions, Lily and Anne had also picked up a few more male friends in their own year.

At the bottom of the Quidditch pitch, Lily could see the yellow and black of a Hufflepuff's cloak, paired with a green and silver beside them. She turned to Anne and she peered down at the pair as well, before she smiled. Once the two boy turned up and found Lily's flaming red hair, a nice contrast to Anne's sleek blonde, they began to wave.

"Plans?" Alex asked curiously as he stared at the two girls.

"Hogsmeade." Anne answered simply as she rose to her feet. Lily did as well, but only Anne turned back to Alex and Deryck, both of whom narrowed their eyes at the two girls. Albus, Scorpius, and James, however, hardly paid it any attention.

"Without us?" Deryck teased and Anne diverted her eyes to Alex for a moment.

"You never invite us." Lily quipped back. Anne took the opportunity to turn to Lily, effectively avoiding Deryck's stare. The two girls climbed down a few rows of seats, before they reached a nearby tower to take the staircase to the bottom of the Quidditch pitch, leaving the five boys to their own devices.

Lily and Anne's girlish giggling could be heard as they walked out of the Quidditch pitch with the two third year boys. The Slytherin was on Lily's side, leaving the Hufflepuff with Anne. At the same time, Scorpius produced his broom with a simply charm and began to fly through the empty pitch, James and Albus following close behind. Once Lily, Anne, and their male company, had left the pitch, Alex and Deryck turned their attention to the older boys already playing unfairly two Gryffindors against one Ravenclaw. It was slightly easier with two Ravenclaws against three Gryffindors, but they were still out numbered.

Not one of the five were willing to admit it, except maybe Scorpius, but Lily's young age did nothing to hinder her abilities as a Chaser. Even against her brothers, and a number of other boys, Lily had so far only been held back by only one: Sophie Greene. What each of those Chasers flying around the Quidditch pitch on their free day were willing to accept without argument was that Sophie Greene's interference with Lily had so little to do with their Quidditch abilities compared to their remarkably female mutual dislike.

As though some sort of miracle had occurred that year—Scorpius and Albus' fifth, and Lily's third—no sort of dramatic outbreak had occurred between Lily and Sophie. After Sophie's long fall the year before, she had nearly stared clear of Lily completely. Lily wasn't foolish enough to think it would last, and Scorpius was naïve enough in the ways of a girlish mind to believe it would. For that year, however, Lily remained on guard against nothing and Scorpius enjoyed the peace of it, as had everyone else around them. Anne, no matter how strongly she believed in the good in everyone, could not think the best of Sophie no matter how hard she tried.

Even during Ravenclaw's game against Slytherin, Sophie and Lily had managed to steer clear of each other for the most part. While Sophie had more or less not created some conflict against Lily, she had still managed to be involved in yet another accident on the Quidditch pitch. Fortunately, Alex hadn't fallen from a great height and had gotten back on his broom quick enough to recover with Scorpius and Lily.

The Ravenclaw game against Gryffindor had been far more exciting to watch in comparison. That particular match up had always been a rather difficult game. Lily's age may not have hindered her abilities, but her smaller size certainly had. Especially when match up against her much bigger brothers. While she may not have had much trouble flying right alongside them, they had far more difficultly when the positions were switched. Both knew they were supposed to play Lily as they would any other player, but neither could overcome the fear of hurting their little sister.

Every so often, however, one of the two managed to see Lily as just another player when she had scored on them more then they cared for. That particular year, however, James and Albus had been pushed over the edge at the same time. Lily might've been knocked around enough by either brother, but facing both at the same time was far more than she could handle, even if she couldn't see it coming. Scorpius saw the train wreck in the making, and Albus and James hadn't notice each other until it was far too late.

Lily had seen it at the same time her brothers had, but Scorpius had already intervened by then. Flying between the three siblings, Scorpius stopped, and Albus had been going far too fast to stop in time. James saw Scorpius, and had managed to divert his broom up, leaving Lily completely clear to continue with Alex's aid. From the impact, Scorpius and Albus had started fall, but Scorpius managed to keep hold of his broom. After gaining control once more, he sped straight down to take hold of Albus' arm. Albus didn't touch the ground as softly as Scorpius had liked, but he had still managed to lessen Albus' fall dramatically.

Almost mirroring the way Scorpius was often out numbed by his Gryffindor friends, Lily and Alex outnumbered Deryck in numbers and talent. After getting to his feet, Albus turned to the hoops, watching Lily and Alex score against their Keeper.

"You ok?" Scorpius asked as he turned his attention to Albus, whose broom was nowhere in sight.

"I'd be better if you hadn't hit me." Albus replied as he brushed the dirt off of his arms and straightened his clothes.

"It was the other way around." Scorpius assured him with a laugh before he flew away from him. Albus quickly located his broom and started to fly again, but not before noticing his parents sitting in the tower near where he had fallen. Scorpius' parents were sitting nearby, and all four watched him with a look he couldn't quite identify. He wasn't sure if they were surprised or scared, or some odd mixture of the two.

"Anything broken?" James asked light heartedly and Albus only sighed as he shook his head.

"Where is the damn snitch?"

"I'm sure Scorpius is wondering too." James answered bitterly before the two continued with the game.

Shortly after the game had ended, James went to the infirmary with Albus, who needed all his cuts and bruises treated. As they walked through the corridors of the castle, still clad in their Quidditch uniforms, they could hear the cheering of the Ravenclaw students bouncing off the stone walls. Of course, both liked to win, but did their best not to let the defeat affect them too heavily. It was safe to say, however, that should Gryffindor lose to any other House, losing to Ravenclaw had the best possible outcome.

Already in the infirmary, Lily was stripped to her plain white shirt and pants while the Healer bandaged various marks on her shoulders and arms. Standing near the bed where Lily sat, Scorpius was buttoning his shirt. Off to the side, but still nearby, their parents were watching with narrowed eyes.

"Would you please stop?" Scorpius finally sighed heavily as he turned away from his mother's lingering gaze.

"I didn't say anything, darling." Astoria Malfoy replied gently and Scorpius forced his attention to James and Albus. He knew if he responded, it would be potentially dangerous.

"Are you ok?" Harry asked simply as he turned to Albus, who only shrugged at the question.

"Nothing's broken." Albus commented, and Lily laughed, even as the Healer finished her wounds.

"You all need to be more careful." Astoria commented, and again she went unanswered. As the only parent of the four not to have played Quidditch, she had only a sense that her worries went unheard. The other three around her, however, knew as though it had been proven several times over that every word about carefulness with the Quidditch pitch were utter to deaf ears. Of course, Harry and Ginny had certainly preferred that their large sons had not taken on their dainty daughter at once, but all is fair in love and Quidditch.

Scorpius' oddly protective behavior towards Lily did appease some of their concerns, but as parents they were forever haunted by worries. It was safe to assume that the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw game that day might've been a dramatic game, but it certainly wasn't the last of its kind. Luckily for the Potters and Malfoys that so far that only James had broken a bone, and even that wasn't too serious an injury. Not for any competent Healer, of course.

The end of the school year eventually rolled around, and as tradition stood, Anne and Scorpius accompanied the Potters home. During that time, James had gone to one his own friend's homes. Over the course of that summer, Lily and Anne turned fourteen, while Albus and Scorpius had reached sixteen. Somewhere between the birthdays, something had changed, and all four were vaguely aware of it, even if not one could put it into words.

Anne and Lily were more perceptive to it, perhaps as a virtue of their femininity, but neither were daring enough to explain it to the boys. Instead, Anne and Lily continued through the summer as though they harbored some kind of secret. It wasn't new, actually, for the two girls to keep selective things from Albus and Scorpius, but it was first time the boys felt as though they should've known what it was.

"Do you like him?" Anne asked softly, even though the two doubted anybody else could be awake in the Potter house as the clock neared midnight.

"Who?" Lily responded, and earned a stare from Anne. She was usually forgiving of minor misunderstandings, but Anne's passive and gentle nature extended only so far.

"You know exactly who." Anne replied borrowing some of Lily's sarcastic tones.

"I don't know." Lily answered truthfully. She held her gaze on the ceiling, though Anne's eyes had turned to her. As Lily contemplated the thought, she wondered so many things at once that she could hardly set everything straight in her own mind. When she had been too young to attend Hogwarts, Scorpius had been a third brother for her to write letters and send candy to. As she got older, however, there was very distinct difference between her relationships with Albus and James, compared to the one she shared with Scorpius. She couldn't really identify what made it so different, but she knew it was intuitively.

"What about you? Alex or Deryck?" Lily asked, and finally rolled to her side to face Anne.

"Are those my only choices?"

"I didn't even have a choice in your question." Lily answered and the two laughed.

"Deryck is funny and outgoing," Anne said after some thought. Lily only narrowed her eyes at her best friend as she waited for the rest of the thought to pass Anne's lips. "But Alex is calmer and we have more things to talk about it."

"Is this a case of daring versus safe?"

"I don't think so." Anne answered honestly. Silence followed her remark, and somewhere in the back of Anne's mind she knew a third option existed, but in the presence of the majority of the Potter family, neither Anne nor Lily were willing to have a conversation on that specific option.

At the same time, Albus and Scorpius were caught in a similar conversation of equal secrecy and quietness, even if the topic was approached in a dramatically different way.

"How can you even consider Sophie Greene?" Scorpius spat as he tried to contain his laughter.

"Have you not looked at her?"

"Have you not listened to her?" Scorpius answered and for a moment Albus was at a loss of words. To some extent, Scorpius was right. In addition to beauty, Sophie possessed a voice in which she spoke words too obnoxious to be heard, or simply spoke in a tone which could not be endured.

"She's interesting, sometimes." Albus answered and Scorpius let himself laugh quietly. "What about you?" He changed the subject, and in the silence that followed, both knew Scorpius would've liked to continued on about Sophie.

"I don't know." Scorpius finally answered. It was not said in conviction and even if it had been, Albus might not have believed it anyway.

"You can say it."

"I'm not going to."

"What are you? Ashamed?"

"No!" Scorpius snapped and as he faced Albus, he was met with a victorious grin. Scorpius only narrowed his eyes defensively, knowing Albus had gotten the truth without ever requiring Scorpius to say the words.

"I just don't get it." Albus finally said and Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"What do you want? A detailed explanation?"

"No." Albus answered quickly before Scorpius could have the chance to even think of continuing. The last thing Albus wanted to hear was any kind of details revolving around his best friend and little sister. Scorpius laughed as he rolled to the side, leaving Albus to his thoughts. "I just mean… I don't know… Is she pretty? What is it that you like?"

Silence followed and Albus narrowed his eyes at the back of Scorpius' head. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for a question that you actually want an answer to." Scorpius quipped back and Albus felt inclined to agree with Scorpius' reasoning. "Piece of advice, Al, don't ask questions you don't want the answers to."


	6. Chapter 6

They might've known things had changed over the course of the summer, but once they returned to Hogwarts, it seemed the changes went deeper than any had imagined. Things that had been normal before seemed completely new, and Lily had a feeling she was not the only one to feel that way. Nonetheless, any conversations about the topic seemed to be strictly avoided.

At the news that Hogwarts would be holding a ball that year, the emphasis on Quidditch had been lessened. Anne took it as a chance to step away from the sport, while James and Albus were upset at the out of order priorities. Scorpius and Lily, however, didn't mind one way or the other. Every Quidditch game would still be played, but two were be pushed back later in the year to accommodate the timing of the Winter Ball.

Starting at the beginning of the year, girls had begun their search for the perfect dress, but Lily and Anne hadn't been motivated to do the same. Neither had dates to the event, but Anne wanted to attend. Lily claimed she didn't care either way, and Scorpius believed her. Anne didn't, but didn't start an argument over it either. Eventually, Lily had been asked by the same Slytherin boy who had accompanied her and Anne to Hogsmeade the year before.

"You have to get a dress now." Anne commented and Lily only shrugged. They were sitting in the Ravenclaw Common room with Alex and Scorpius nearby. The boys weren't actively involved in the conversation, but they followed along nonetheless.

"I can always have my mom send one if there aren't any in Hogsmeade." Lily resolved and Anne agreed with a slight shrug.

"Well, if I ever get asked, we'll go shopping together." Anne replied and Lily nodded in agreement. Anne had no idea, but Lily had known as though she could see the future. Not yet a week later, Alex had asked Anne to accompany him to the Ball, and though he had meant to ask her as a friend, he had failed to mention it when asking her. Despite the clarification, Anne had accepted, and Alex felt absolutely no need to tell her afterwards.

Happily, Anne and Lily visited Hogsmeade in search of dresses. To pass the time during that cold weekend, Scorpius and Albus tagged along with the two. Anne and Lily rarely asked their opinions, so they simply followed them around from one store to the next, until they had started to feel hungry. Lily wanted to stop for food as well, but Anne had convinced her to try a few more stores first.

At the same time, James and his date had walked out of the store the four were arguing in front of. To get appease everyone, James' sixth year date opted to continue shopping with Lily and Anne, perhaps to pick Lily's mind about James, while James went with Albus and Scorpius in search of food.

"This Ball is a nightmare." Albus mumbled as the three picked a restaurant and sat at a table. James' sigh conveyed his agreement, but Scorpius remained silent on the matter. Before the conversation continued, the three ordered and once the waitress had gone, James let out another breath.

"I don't understand the way girls shop." James admitted and Albus let out a dry laugh. "I mean the first dress was fine, why was it necessary to drag me to fifty other stores to try on fifty other dresses?"

"That's the same thing Lily and Anne are doing." Albus sneered. Scorpius was simply looking around the restaurant, picking out faces that he recognized, but not really looking for anyone in particular.

"Once Quidditch picks up, Anne and Lily won't be so wrapped up in it." Scorpius finally said with a shrug.

"What about Kate?" James replied and Scorpius only stared at him with narrowed, confused eyes.

"Not picking annoying dates is the solution to that problem, James." Albus responded simply and James huffed as he turned to his brother.

"And who are you going with?"

"Michelle," Albus answered with a shrug.

"Sophie turn you down?" Scorpius teased and Albus sent him a look.

"Sophie is annoying." Albus answered. Before either James or Scorpius could respond, a group of Slytherins approached their table, and the three stared up at the collection with narrowed eyes.

"Can we help you?" Scorpius asked, sounding almost amused at the sight of the younger Slytherin boys approaching the Potters and Malfoy. By seventeen and sixteen, they had definitely made a name for themselves within Hogwarts, and though they weren't intimidating in anyway, few every approached them, especially when the three were together.

"Uh," The Slytherin boy in the front started to speak, trying to hold Scorpius' gaze, but his eyes darted to the brothers as well. "I wanted to know if you would tell me about… about Lily."

"Why?" Scorpius replied, unsure if he should laugh or tell the boys to scurry away.

"I'm- Lily's my-"

James cleared his throat as he turned to Albus, then to Scorpius. "Is 'date' the word you're looking for?" He asked curiously as he turned to the Slytherin again. He quickly nodded, and James nodded in a mocking manner as he faced Scorpius again. Albus had started to laugh, and James had trouble concealing his laughter as well, but Scorpius only stared at the Slytherin with an unmoving expression across his face.

"Go away." Scorpius finally said. After a minute, he nodded and turned away, his fellow Slytherins in tow.

"That was harsh." James commented and Scorpius rolled his eyes as he turned to Albus. "Could've at least thrown him a little bit."

"Lily's not that difficult to understand." Scorpius responded as though it were some kind of defense. James nodded with the same mocking expression across his face that he had used on the Slytherin as he stared at Scorpius.

"Right." James laughed as their food arrived at their table. "Because Lily would never conceal her actual feelings."

Ignoring James' teasing comments, Albus turned to his best friend. "You can't seriously be jealous of a fourth year? I mean if you wanted to go, all you had to do is ask her. It's not like she was going to say no."

"What are you talking about?" Scorpius responded and James laughed again. Albus shook his head as he turned away from Scorpius to focus on his food. "I don't want to go. It's a waste of time. And Lily wants to go with that stupid boy, so she might as well."

"It's probably for the better, anyway." James commented and Scorpius narrowed his eyes at him. Without requiring an actual question, James explained. "I just mean it would be weird. You're Albus' best friend. And one of my closest friends, and Lily's our sister. That's just weird. And I can't really say I'd be ok with it."

"This conversation is completely unnecessary." Scorpius responded, and neither Potter wanted to answer him. In the silence, the three boys continued their meals until Albus figured out what he wanted to say.

"I think it's weird, too, but I would be fine with it. After a while, I mean." Albus mused over his thoughts while enduring Scorpius' stare. "But not right now. Maybe later. When she's like sixteen or something."

"Why are we still talking about this?" Scorpius asked with a defeated sigh.

"I don't know why you don't just admit it." James commented as he finished his food. "It's Hogwarts' worst kept secret that you-"

"Hey." Lily's voice stopped and James and Scorpius drew in a deep breath of relief. Anne and James' date Kate were behind her, but the three girls did not take seats. "That looks good." Lily commented as she stared at Scorpius' plate. Without even asking for his leftover food, she reached out and picked up the sandwich with the intention of finishing it for him. Albus and James only stared at him as though it had proved their point.

"I was going to eat that," Scorpius commented and Lily shrugged.

"Not anymore." She replied as she dropped her shopping bag onto the empty seat at the table. She took a last bite before she handed the rest of the food to Scorpius, who did eat the rest. As she reached across the table for his glass, she balanced herself on his shoulder.

"Lily!" The Slytherin's voice called through the air and Lily turned in the direction.

"Mason." Lily said simply with no real emotion attached to the name. "What are you doing here?"

"Just out." He answered simply before he stared at Scorpius. He forced his eyes to Lily, who was still holding Scorpius' drink. "I was wondering if you had already got a dress."

"I did just now." Lily answered and he nodded, appearing to not have anything to say.

"Can I have my drink back?" Scorpius asked in the silence and Lily made a face him before she lifted it to her lips to take a drink.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Lily?" Mason asked abruptly, and Lily had begun to cough on the water at the shock of the question. Scorpius took the glass from her fingers before she let it slip.

"No," Lily answered sharply and Mason only nodded softly before he started to turn away. His eyes had drifted to Scorpius, who hadn't noticed while he finished his drink.

When the day of the Winter Ball had finally arrived, everybody, but mostly just the girls, were fluttering about as they prepared themselves. The boys, to some extent, worried about their looks, while Scorpius sat in one of the comfy armchairs in the Common Room content to watch the chaos unfolding around him. Alex was sitting nearby simply waiting for Anne, but of course, Anne and Lily could not come down until both were ready.

After the majority of the couples had already left the Ravenclaw Tower, Anne came down the stairs alone. In her sapphire dress, her blonde hair and blue eyes stood out and certainly caught Alex's eye, but he noticed the look across her face soon after.

"Where's Lily?" Alex asked curiously as he rose to his feet and walked towards her.

"Mason canceled."

Scorpius peered up at Anne for a moment before he drew a deep breath. "Why?"

"He sent an owl saying he was going with Sophie Greene instead."

Scorpius didn't seem to be affected by the turn of events, but Anne and Alex knew better than to assume based on appearances, especially when it came to Scorpius.

"Well, is she dressed?" Scorpius asked and Anne nodded. "And she still wants to go?" Anne nodded again, but more slowly. "Then go get her."

"Scorpius, what are you going to do?" Anne asked with a breath and Scorpius only smiled at her. He rose to his feet and pulled his wand from his pocket.

"Go get her." Scorpius repeated. He took a few steps so that he was near the staircase leading to the girls' rooms, Alex beside him. After a few minutes, Anne came down the stairs, Lily in tow. Scorpius saw she had cried, but it was only evident in her red eyes. Her red hair was perfectly pulled up with only a strand falling around her face. He wasn't sure if it was meant to fall, but decided the imperfection made her all the more perfect no matter how counterintuitive it might seem.

"What?" Lily snapped and Scorpius ignored the tone of voice as he tapped himself on the shoulder. His ordinary clothes quickly transformed into formal wear. Anne smiled brightly as she stepped down the last few stares to stand beside Alex. Lily, who remained standing on the stairway, stared at Scorpius until she could not fight the smile forcing itself onto her lips. "Ok," Lily agreed and Anne and Alex laughed while Lily stepped down the stairs to take Scorpius' outstretched hand.

He had raised his wand once more, ready to fix his hair, but Lily's hand went up and stopped him from casting the charm. "Don't."

"Why?" Scorpius asked with curious eyes.

"I like your hair messy." She answered simply as she intertwined their fingers and followed Anne and Alex out of the Common Room.

Albus and James were already in the Great Hall when Mason had arrived with Sophie Green on his arm instead of Lily, and neither knew what to make of it. If Lily had been the one to cancel last minute, Sophie Greene couldn't be too happy to be Lily's replacement. On the flip side, if Lily had been canceled on, she would as far from happy to know Sophie Greene was the new pick.

A few minutes later, Anne and Alex had arrived and right behind them, Scorpius' messy blonde hair stood out in the sea of combed locks. As Lily beamed up at him, they knew it hardly mattered. The way Scorpius put his arm around her waist, not too low of course, was perfectly Scorpius. He was never the type to disrespect anybody, especially a girl, and especially Lily. Knowing that some Slytherin's greasy paws would not be on their sister the entire night, James and Albus quickly forgot about Lily and Scorpius, letting the couple enjoy the night for what it was.

Without eyes watching them, they had managed to escape for fresh air. In one of the courtyards in Hogwarts Castle, Scorpius found a bench for them to sit on, allowing them access to the watch the stars above.

It felt like for the first time that night, they were given a chance to simply breathe. With all their friends, or at least Lily's, constantly around them, they hardly had a chance to just be in the moment. In the cool air, Scorpius and Lily sat in companionable silence. It wasn't much different from any other given night when they sat in the Common Room. Of course, Scorpius had never seen Lily dressed so femininely, but he still preferred her in ill-fitting Quidditch clothes anyway. In addition to their physical appearances, both were aware of the circumstances that had lead to their night at the Ball, even if Scorpius had enough brilliance not to mention it once.

She knew her brothers hadn't known what had happened, but they had regarded Mason and Sophie cautiously anyway. Scorpius, on the other hand, had been more than clear in his feelings towards the Slytherin when he had asked Lily for a dance. Lily had always thought that anybody, including her brothers, acting protectively over her in the matters of romance would enrage her, but after Scorpius snapped at the timid boy, Lily found herself dancing a little closer to Scorpius.

"Is he always that shaky?" Scorpius finally asked in the silence. From his tone of voice, Lily could tell it had been a question bothering him for some time. With a dry laugh, Lily turned to face her date for the night.

"No. Just around you, James, and Albus. Like everyone else daring enough to even come close to me."

Scorpius caught the meaning to her snide comment, even if she had said as though her dry humor had taken over. Deciding to leave it alone for the time being, Scorpius didn't respond directly to her answer.

"Well, I hope you had fun tonight. I know it wasn't exactly to plan."

Lily only laughed as his comment and he faced her again. Lily only shrugged as she held his gaze. "It probably would've been more fun to just sit in the Common Room doing nothing."

"Those were my plans."

"Until I ruined them?" Lily asked and Scorpius laughed as he shook his head.

"I know tonight wasn't perfect, Lily, but-"

"Don't." Lily stopped Scorpius and he turned to her. Slowly he reached out to push the falling lock of hair behind her ear, and was surprised when Lily leaned towards him slightly, but didn't pull away at her movements either. "Tonight was perfect, Scorpius."


	7. Chapter 7

After finishing his seventh year, James had been invited to practice with several different Quidditch teams. As he jumped from team to team, trying to find the best fit, Albus, Scorpius, and Lily returned to Hogwarts. Mason had learned his lesson and hadn't so much as looked in Lily's direction during their fifth year. Scorpius had taken notice of his absence, but Lily hardly paid it any attention. For the majority of that year, Alex and Anne spent time away from Scorpius, Lily, Deryck, and Albus and had never run out of excuses to explain their absences.

Even though Lily and Scorpius were quick to point out what was actually happening, Anne only blushed and turned away at the insinuation, while Alex shrugged. It was clear Anne hadn't wanted her closest friends to have every detail of her personal life while Alex went along with the stupid excuses because she wanted them. Nonetheless, Anne and Alex escaped their friends at least once a week, and their blooming relationship had little to no effect on their friends.

James had been replaced by another Gryffindor Chaser, and though she was talented enough to hold her own with Albus and Deryck, she had wanted to join them, as though replacing James' presence in the group of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors.

In the beginning, Albus had thought nothing of, considering the majority of their time was spent in the Quidditch pitch. It was helpful to be able to practice with Kate outside of regulated practices, but eventually Lily voiced her dislike of the girl. She was slightly more obsessed with James than Lily had given her credit for the year prior, but it seemed only she noticed. Scorpius didn't care about the girl.

On a usual Saturday, Lily and Scorpius were seated in the stands of the Quidditch pitch with Albus and Deryck. Kate was sitting with them, a bench away from Lily and Scorpius, and Lily wished Anne and Alex would return before Kate started another dreadful story.

"So, have you…" Kate started but trailed off until Lily faced her. "Have you heard from James?"

"No." Albus answered simply with a shrug.

"You haven't?" Lily asked and Kate shook her head softly. "He writes me every week."

Scorpius cleared his throat as he stared at Albus. Both knew Lily was lying for no other purpose than to upset Kate, but neither were willing to point it out to her. Kate quickly became affected at the notion, even though she attempted to hide her reaction.

"You should go write him." Lily said. "If I had a boyfriend who never wrote me, I'd never let him live it down." Kate only nodded before she quickly rose to her feet to climb down the stairs. With bewildered eyes, Lily, Scorpius and Albus stared at the back of her mind, all three wondering exactly what she and James had ever talked about.

"Is she serious?" Deryck finally asked after Kate had left the four alone.

"She's something." Lily answered.

"You're mean." Scorpius said with a dry laugh as he turned to her. Lily laughed as she shrugged.

"No James doesn't write us. He's playing professional Quidditch. What is she thinking? He doesn't have time for his petty Hogwarts girlfriend." Lily said and all four shared a laugh at Kate's expense. Though none would say it, all were glad it was her seventh year and that once the year had passed, Lily, Deryck, and Alex, would continue playing as Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Chasers without her.

Until then, everyone cherished the last year they would have to play Quidditch together. Albus and James had been one of the best Chaser teams Gryffindor had seen in some years, just as Scorpius and Lily had been for Ravenclaw. Without James, much talk about Ravenclaw taking the Quidditch cup had arisen. Albus and Deryck could be easily overcome by Scorpius and Lily, and Kate did not add much to their team. Though Slytherin could put up a physical fight, they had nowhere near as much talent as either the Gryffindor or Ravenclaw team, and Hufflepuff had never been in the running.

After Gryffindor had beaten Ravenclaw, they were in the lead, but one game remained. Should Ravenclaw defeat Slytherin, a tie between the ravens and lions would occur. A final championship game between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw was the ideal way for Scorpius and Albus to leave Hogwarts for good, but Lily was far more concerned with the game before it. She knew Slytherin played dirty, but she didn't know what to expect when a championship game was at stake.

Luckily, the skies were clear for the game against Slytherin. The last thing Ravenclaw needed working against them was the weather. Scorpius and Lily were vaguely aware of Sophie's favorite tricks, and they were difficult enough to avoid in clear weather.

"Watch for when she grabs." Albus said and Scorpius turned to him with a stare. The entire Ravenclaw team was busy suiting up in the locker room, and Albus had invited himself in to share a few tips. Lily and Scorpius, however, already knew them.

"Albus, go back to the stands, now." Scorpius said simply as he stepped in front of the mirror to tie his cloak.

"I'm just trying to help."

"You're annoying." Lily said simply, earning a snickering wave from the team behind her. From a nearby bench, Lily picked up a blue and bronze shirt and tossed to her brother. "Put that one, and go back up to our side of the stadium and cheer like the rest of the school."

"Mum and Dad are here."

"Great." Lily said sarcastically as she turned away from her brother after he had taken the shirt from her.

"Yours too." Albus added as he turned to Scorpius.

"I hate it when they're all here at the same time." Scorpius mumbled. "They always snicker and tame up against us."

"They're parents." Lily said simply and Scorpius and Albus were inclined to agree with the simplest explanation. Albus soon left the locker room and within moments, the game was ready to start. After everyone had taken their positions, the whistle echoed through the air and Scorpius zoomed forward to take control of the Quaffle first. In the beginning, it seemed Ravenclaw had no problem keeping Slytherin at bay, but Scorpius, Lily, and Alex held their breath as they waited for Slytherin's trademark physical attacks began. Albus enjoyed the scoring while it lasted as well, but tried his best not to be too invested in the game.

"Who do you think she'll go for first?" Anne asked and Albus turned down to her. He knew she was worried, but he couldn't who had her worried the most. After all, all three of Ravenclaw's Chasers were her close friends, except Alex who was significantly more to her.

"Sophie?" Albus asked, even though he had understood the question perfectly when she'd asked it. Anne only nodded as she kept her eyes on the game. "My first guess is Lily. Then Alex."

"Why?"

"It's personal between Sophie and Lily. And Alex is smaller than Scorpius. I don't think she could knock Scorpius over. Not anymore." Anne didn't respond, and only nodded softly. She felt a hand touch her shoulder, but she didn't check to see who it was. It could've been Albus, or even Deryck who stood on the other side of her. It didn't matter, really, because both knew Anne. She may not follow Quidditch actively, or be remotely interested in the sport, but she knew what the game before her meant. More importantly, she knew Sophie's track record against Ravenclaw and what it meant for her best friends.

Once Ravenclaw got a good lead on Slytherin, the first physical signs started. In the beginning, Sophie simply banged against Lily while the two flew side by side, but Lily pushed right back as she always did. The other Slytherin Chasers had started it as well against Scorpius and Alex, and the boys were significantly rougher on one another than Sophie and Lily.

At one point, Lily hovered near one of the towers where the parents were seated as she caught her breath. She could see Scorpius' parents, as well as her own, staring at her, all three knowing what was going on in the game, but she refused to met their gaze.

"Lily," Scorpius called as he approached her, leaving Alex to fend against the three alone. "You'd better brace yourself."

"Why?" Lily asked as she flew towards him, but the two were not quite out of their parents' earshot.

"They've started kicking, and I don't think Sophie will be the one on you."

"Why?"

"She's determined this time," Scorpius answered. She could see in his eyes that something was different. Usually Sophie's antics were annoying at the worst. They had never suffered real injury from a game before, but even Scorpius' tone let on that something was very different about the game they were in. Lily had no idea if it truly was Sophie, or if it was something between them.

It seemed to Lily that since the summer, almost everything between them had been different, and slowly she could see Scorpius had felt the same way, but neither had been willing to talk about it. "We've got you covered, Lily." Scorpius said simply as he reached out and put his hand on top of hers. Lily glanced down at their touching hands for a moment, before she met Scorpius' eyes. Something was definitely different, but Lily felt as though it was mixture between the two options.

"Ok," Lily nodded simply and Scorpius withdrew his hand before the two returned to the game. Alex and the Keeper had been scored on twice, but Ravenclaw still lead the game dramatically. Scorpius' warning held true once Lily began to notice the male Slytherin Chasers beginning to close on her instead of Sophie. Lily was used to male Chasers, but in her five years at Hogwarts, Sophie had always played Lily herself during games against Slytherin. At first it made no real difference, until they had started to push on her much harder than Lily could handle for a long period of time.

More than once, Alex or Scorpius had interfered so that Lily felt a piece of the force, but all three knew their protection would last for only a short amount of time. The three did not have the stamina to keep up such a routine, namely because they had never been forced to play in that manner before. Lily was talented enough to hold her own, but Lily had a small frame compared to others of her age. When put up against the large Slytherin Chasers playing with force, Lily didn't stand a chance even if she had more talent to use.

After a few more hits, Lily withdrew to the top of the stadium again, clutching her side. Scorpius followed her and hovered beside her. "Want to switch out? We can bring in someone else or play down."

"No." Lily shook her head. "It's just a bruise."

"This is ridiculous." Scorpius commented and Lily met his gaze. He knew she was losing her composure, but that she could still retain it for the time being. It took a lot to push Lily over the edge, but Slytherin was nearing the boundary.

"Where's the seeker? Is he close?"

"No idea." Scorpius answered. "Just sit out."

"No." Lily repeated strongly and Scorpius actually smiled at her as he nodded.

"Well, loosen up your elbows, then."

Lily had started to laugh, but Alex's yell had pulled their attention to the game. The Quaffle was already heading in their direction, and Scorpius went directly for it. Lily swung outward, pulling a Slytherin Chaser with her while Sophie went to Scorpius. Alex flew upward, where the game had sudden gone, and the third Slytherin Chaser was with him.

"Scorp!" Lily called as she flew inward, but higher up than Scorpius. He tossed her the Quaffle before flying forward, much faster than Sophie could. Instead of attempting to keep up, Sophie went to Lily, who had quickly thrown the ball back to Scorpius. She tried to hold her gaze on the Quaffle, but Sophie continued towards Lily, and eventually the two were side by side again, but it didn't last long.

If Lily hadn't been so worn out, she might've seen Sophie's foot, or been able to dodge it. Instead, Lily quickly lost control of her broom at a height that could prove detrimental to her health if she hit the ground. Scorpius had seen the kick, as had the Professor overseeing the game. Although the game was stopped, Lily was still in mid air with no broom in sight.

Scorpius had speed and managed to turn towards Lily. He knew there was no way to catch her, but that he could break her fall and lessen the impact, if nothing else. Lily was falling from too tall a height and was falling too fast for Scorpius to even think of catching her. Instead, Scorpius simply flew directly at her, until the collided in the air, half way to the ground from where she had fallen.

He immediately released his broom and wrapped both arms around her. Lily's arms quickly found Scorpius' neck as well. As they hit the ground together, both knew they had injuries, but the fall had been dramatically changed for the better. The stadium had fallen silent as they watched the pair, but neither could tell silence from sound.

"I got you," Scorpius whispered softly to Lily, not sure if she could hear him at all.

All Lily knew was Scorpius' arms around her, and Scorpius could pay attention to only Lily. "You stopped me." She said breathlessly.

"I tried." He admitted as he felt the pain in his arm. Before he could turn to access his injury, he felt Lily press her lips against his. Frozen for a moment, he hadn't a clue what to do until he finally recognized what was happening. With his good arm, Scorpius reached up to touch the back of her head as he kissed her back. He could feel Lily's fingers moving slowly around his neck and to his chest, until she finally pulled from the kiss.

In the stands, Anne had quickly turned away, not wanting to witness the fall. Her face buried in Albus' shoulder, she reached up to grab onto his arm as well. "Are they ok?" She finally asked when she heard murmuring moving through the crowd.

"I think they're a little better than ok." Albus answered as he peeled Alex's girlfriend from his arm when he noticed Alex staring.

"How can you say that?" Anne accused before she turned back to the field. Lily and Scorpius were on their feet, and Anne hadn't seen the intimate exchange moments before, but she could see something between them. Scorpius reached for Lily's hand as they walked to the exit of the stadium, both appearing happier than they should after such a fall.

Their parents had followed the pair to the infirmary after deeming there was nothing left to watch of the game after they were finished playing. Anne opted to stay to watch Alex, and Albus and Deryck stayed to accompany her. In the infirmary, Lily learned she had broken her left arm in two places and fractured a rib while Scorpius had only broken his wrist.

"It'd have been much worse if you'd have just fallen." The Healer assessed as she continued to cast charms on all of Lily's wounds. Scorpius, already healed, was simply waiting for Lily. Standing to the side, their parents simply focused on their breathing as they waited for Lily's wounds to finish healing.

Though she was in some pain, Lily was mostly focused on whether or not her parents had seen the kiss. She knew that of course they had, but some part of her was holding on to some off chance that all four of their parents had somehow missed the moments directly after hitting the ground.

"Can we still play in the next game?" Scorpius asked in the silence.

"No." His mother answered and he turned to her. "Did you not just see what happened?"

"Well," Scorpius started to answer before he realized there was no correct answer. "Not really, Mum. I was too busy falling to watch."

"You could've been killed."

"It wasn't that far of a fall, and I only broke one bone. Look at her." Scorpius answered as he motioned to Lily. She only sent him a stare until he turned away. He was realizing that silence had been a much better option compared to speaking.

"Why did you do that?" Astoria asked and Scorpius knew for fact that speaking would be far worse than remaining quiet. As Astoria waited for an answer, Scorpius turned to his father with a pleading look in his eye.

"We're going go for a walk and come back after you've had a chance to rest." Draco decided as he put his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Come on, we need some air."

After they had left Scorpius turned to harry and Ginny before he looked at Lily again. "Was I supposed to answer that?"

"No." Harry answered simply and Scorpius drew in a deep breath. "Unless you have some kind of brilliant answer."

"Like falling fifty feet to save your pretend girlfriend?" Albus quipped as he neared his family and best friend. Scorpius' face contorted for a moment at the comment, while Lily had quickly turned away from her parents as he face began to turn red. When Albus realized both Scorpius and Lily were far too embarrassed to even respond to the comment, he cleared his throat and continued. "Feeling ok?"

"I've been better."

"I don't think so." Albus answered and Scorpius drew in a breath as he felt Harry and Ginny's eyes on him.

"Do you want to go away?" Scorpius asked and Albus laughed as he turned to Lily.

"What about you?" Albus asked as he touched her shoulder lightly.

"I'd be better if somebody broke Sophie's arm." Lily answered honestly.

"You did get the call." Albus responded and Lily and Scorpius only stared at him.

"So not the time, Al." Scorpius commented and Albus only grinned at his best friend. It amazed Scorpius how Albus was responding to the moment Scorpius and Lily shared on the field, but knew that in the presence of their parents they couldn't say much.

"Just trying to lighten the mood." Albus answered. "Anne wants to see both of you as soon as possible. She's freaking out. Alex fell too, about a few minutes after you two. Your back up Chasers are terrible by the way. You still won though, by ten points, once your Seeker finally found the snitch."

"Can we petition to have her expelled?" Lily asked and Albus only laughed as Scorpius smiled at her. "I'm serious."

Albus only laughed again as he stared at his little sister. "That's why it's funny."


	8. Chapter 8

James was carrying a large bag filled with his clothes and Quidditch gear, but he had dropped near the door was soon as he entered the house. He spent the majority of his time with the team he chose to join, Puddlemere United, but had returned to attend Scorpius and Albus' join graduation party. As soon as his mother saw him, she quickly ran to hug him, and James hugged his father as well before noticing Albus.

"What's with the snogging outside?" James asked immediately and Albus only shrugged, knowing James was referring to Scorpius and Lily who had disappeared some time ago. The two brothers hugged after being apart for over a year.

"It's his graduation gift." Albus quipped earning a hit on the back of his head from his father.

"Don't talk about your sister like that." Harry chided, but Albus and James only stared at each other, both grinning like children while they held in their snickers.

"You can't seriously be surprised." Albus commented as he turned to face his and Scorpius' parents.

"Sweetie," Ginny started as she held his gaze. "It's not surprise."

"Besides, he's way better than stupid Slytherin kid." James commented, and Draco shut his eyes as he drew in a breath.

"There's nothing inherently wrong with Slytherins." Harry replied, feeling as though his oldest child had somehow regressed in maturity.

"Thank you," Draco commented without facing Harry.

"They just make a lot of mistakes all the time." Harry continued and Draco turned to Astoria, who only smiled and laughed at the comment.

"Are you saying Sophie is just mistake-prone?" Albus asked with narrowed eyes. "Cause we all thought she was just Voldermolt's long lost cousin or something."

Not one of the four mature adults had a response, and Albus knew it was because they might not agree with the genealogy of the comment, but its implied subject was agreed upon by everyone in the room.

"James!" Lily's voice called out in surprise. As soon as James turned back towards the doorway, however, Lily was already jumping towards him. With a laugh, he caught her small frame and wrapped his arms around her. "How was it? Do you like it? Is it a lot harder?"

"It's not too bad." James answered with a shrug as he set Lily down on the ground. As she moved to the side, James and Scorpius hugged as well, before Lily Scorpius moved to Lily's side. "I didn't get myself kicked off a broom though." Lily only turned to sneer at her brother who grinned back at her. He shifted his gaze to Scorpius before he and Albus began laughing at the same time.

James stayed home for only a month before returning to Quidditch. Albus spent more time with Anne and Alex than he had any other summer, due mostly to Scorpius spending time with Lily instead of him. Because Anne and Lily would be returning to Hogwarts in the fall without Scorpius and Albus, he let the new couple spend the summer together.

Albus, however, had no idea what the relationship entailed. Nearly halfway through the summer, Albus' plans with Alex and Anne were canceled last minute on Anne's part. Alex hadn't a clue what had happened, so the two went to Diagon Alley without her. When they had run into Scorpius, sans Lily, he joined the pair. He didn't say anything about Lily, but he hardly said anything at all. In his silence, Albus and Alex figured out what had happened, and like the good friends Scorpius thought them to be, neither broached the subject. Instead, they did their best to occupy Scorpius' mind with other things, and were fairly successful in their endeavor.

Scorpius had actually begun to laugh and smile with his friends, but it seemed it had all been in vain when Anne and Lily walked out of a store nearby. Albus had spotted the two first, and had tried to divert Scorpius into the nearest store, but Scorpius wasn't nearly as naïve as Albus gave him credit for. Deciding avoiding Lily was a terrible way to cope, Scorpius continued forward with Albus and Alex. With Albus and James as two of his closest friends, Scorpius knew the notion of avoiding Lily was absolutely ridiculous, no matter the sate of their personal affairs.

When two boys followed the girls out of the store, however, Scorpius seriously reconsidered the reasoning behind his infallible Ravenclaw logic. When one had put his arm around Lily's shoulders, Scorpius had nearly lost the cool temper he was best known for. Albus, knowing the behavior jealousy could drive one to commit, had quickly put his hand on Scorpius' shoulder so as to remind him of their surroundings.

"Do you want to lose that arm?" Lily's snappy remarks made it sound as though she were a Slytherin as she whipped around to face the boy, whose arm had quickly returned to his side. "If you touch me one more time, I can make sure you'll miss that arm for good."

Anne knew she should've stepped in, but under the circumstances, she couldn't help but agree with Lily. Or perhaps it had more to do with the fragile state of Lily's heart than anything else.

"I'm just trying to-"

"I don't care." Lily stopped the boy. "You're the most annoying person I know."

"Including Sophie Greene?" The boy replied, but Lily was not amused.

"Do you want to join the ranks of Sophie Greene?" It was a question, but one delivered with some underlying threat. It wasn't hard to pick up on it, and even from the short distance Scorpius, Albus, and Alex were at, they could see the threat in Lily's eyes.

"Don't get mad at me Lily. I wasn't the one who dumped you."

Anne definitely knew she should've stepped in, but acting on her survival instincts, she stepped back as Lily had started to reach for the young man's face. Before her slap landed, he flinched, but Lily's hand never reached its destination. Scorpius was standing behind her, and his hand was wrapped tightly around her wrist, his strength working against the force of her arm.

"Go away before you lose a pervious body part." Scorpius gave fair warning, and heeding his advice, the young man and his friend quickly hurried away.

"Should've let me." Lily muttered as Scorpius released her wrist.

"Because that would've solved all your problems?"

"It'd have made me feel better." Lily answered as she stared up at Scorpius. Even under the strenuous situation of their relationship, Scorpius could help but smile at her and her logic. Somewhere along the line of her thought process was reasoning and logic, but when the outcome passed her lips, more often than not it was smeared with some kind of Gryffindor pride or Slytherin cunning or an odd mixture of the two. Over the last few years Scorpius had resisted the urge to ask Lily a question he'd asked long ago because he no longer believe Lily Potter let the Hat sort her based on her nature. He had long ago been convinced she had requested her blue and bronze sorting.

Standing to the side, their closest friends watched the exchange, no one able to make heads or tails of what was between them. Of course, some personal feelings lingered, or even dominated, but not one knew the exact reason behind the spilt. Watching the pair smile at one another only confused them further.

"Maybe you should look into a different way to express yourself." Scorpius suggested and Lily stepped back from Scorpius as he smile faded. He knew what it meant. For the most part, Lily had Anne to share her feelings as any other set of girl friends would, but Anne and Lily didn't see eye to eye on everything. For all those types of things, Lily confided in Scorpius, except the moment she had kissed him less than a year ago had changed that relationship.

"Like kicking Sophie Greene off of her broom for once?" Lily commented. Albus and Alex had never put such an act passed Lily, and Anne wanted to believe Lily wouldn't do it. Scorpius, however, was torn down the center. He didn't know what Lily was before him anymore. She hadn't always been so violent, except when pushed to the edge.

Scorpius stepped back from Lily as he returned to Albus and Alex, motioning for them to continue in the direction they had been going before Lily's exchange with the young man. "Perhaps something a little more constructive." Scorpius commented over his shoulder as they continued, leaving Anne and Lily behind.

Scorpius and Lily had shocked all their close friends at the way they handled each other's presence for the rest of the summer. They never argued, though they never had in the past either, and though they were obviously not as close as they had once been, it didn't affect much of anything else. Albus had wanted to believe it was a fire that had burned too hot in the being and died out faster than most other, but somewhere deep in his mind he knew that hadn't happened between Scorpius and Lily. Without the details Scorpius and Lily refused to share, he figured he'd never know, but the stares they shared for only one another was hard to overlook.

Eventually, the end of the summer neared, and it was time for Lily to board the red train, but for the first time without either of her brothers. Anne was with her, as was Alex and Deryck, but they were hardly competent replacements. As Lily hugged Albus on the platform, she couldn't help but wonder how different school would be. She had never known a late night in the Common Room neglecting homework without Anne bugging her to finish it, and Scorpius enabling her to continue putting it off. For the next two years, Anne would be able to hound her about her homework, but Lily had no idea would play games with her late into the night.

As the siblings pulled apart, Albus smiled at Lily. "Gryffindor is going to lose the Quidditch cup. Badly."

"Is that all you're thinking about?" Lily asked and Albus shrugged, resulting in laughter from his little sister. She quickly hugged and kissed her parents one last time, before she turned to Anne, who lead the way towards the train car. The two stopped, however, when they heard they're names echoing through the station. As they turned back, they found Scorpius running towards them.

"What are you doing here?" Anne asked as Scorpius reached them. They stepped to the side so that they weren't blocking the entrance to the train, but Scorpius remained quiet as he tried to catch his breath.

"Came to see you before you left." Scorpius said breathlessly as he looked to Anne.

"Why didn't you come on time?" Lily asked and Scorpius turned to her.

"Thought it was tomorrow." He admitted and Anne laughed. Lily couldn't stop the smile from forming across her lips. "I got you both going away presents." He added as he reached into the pocket of her jacket. "For Anne." He said as he held out a small box. As she lifted the top, she found a gold necklace with a small 'A' pendent which had a small blue jewel inset in the letter.

"It's beautiful, Scorpius." Anne smiled as she stepped forward to hug him and put a kiss on his cheek. As he turned to Lily, his face changed slightly, but he produced a sealed envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket nonetheless.

"What's that?" Lily asked without reaching out to take it.

"It's better than a cheap necklace, I promise." Scorpius responded and Lily let out a laugh. After a moment, she took the envelope from his fingers, and accepted his hug. He gently pressed his lips to her forehead, and the two pulled apart. Without looking back, Lily turned towards the train, Anne following behind.

After settling into their seats and departing from the train station, Anne looked to Lily, who had already opened and read Scorpius' letter. Lily had said nothing about its contents, but Anne could see it had definitely included something to lighten Lily's mood.

"Will you ever tell me what happened between you?" Anne finally asked, and Lily turned to her with narrowed eyes.

"Who will you tell?" Lily responded and Anne only stared back at her until Lily laughed again. "I don't really know. Just that he thought it was better to be apart."

"And you're ok with that?" Anne asked and Lily only stared at her.

"I don't think it really matters. There's three of us, and he's Albus and James' friends, too. It wasn't like I could ban him from my life because he broke my heart." Lily responded and Anne nodded. She couldn't help but feel that it had affected Lily more than she let on, but Anne left it alone anyway.

For the beginning of the school year, Lily, and even Anne, had a difficult time adjusting to Hogwarts without either Scorpius or Albus, but eventually they found their places again. Lily was even known to find male company outside her close knit group of friends, but not one lasted longer than a few weeks. Nonetheless, Lily continued on through the school year with her friends.

Anne and Alex eventually realized a friendship worked better, but they had treated their break-up much like Lily and Scorpius had. After the initial awkward period, things returned to more or less normal, or at least as normal as it could be without Scorpius and Albus, and even James.


	9. Chapter 9

After Scorpius and Albus' seventh year, the two boys received a modest number of invitations to various Quidditch teams. Albus, however, had followed his father's footsteps and began training as an Auror. Scorpius had joined the Ministry as well, but as a member of the intelligence agency his mother had worked in years ago. Every so often, they're work overlapped, but the two friends still made time to eat or sit around like they always had.

Lily's graduation from Hogwarts had come with many more invitations to play Quidditch than Albus had received, and though James hadn't kept count, Lily was fairly certain she had more than him as well. For the graduation party Harry and Ginny had thrown their daughter, James, and a few of his coaches who desperately wanted Lily to play for Puddlemere United as well, came to the Potter home, and Albus and Scorpius had each taken off time to see Lily and Anne. After their graduation a year ago, Alex and Deryck stayed in touch with the two Ravenclaw girls, so they had come as well. Luckily, Kate seemed to simply disappear.

In the kitchen of the Potter home, Lily was with her brothers, as well as their parents, all three wondering where Scorpius was. He said he was coming, and Lily hadn't seen him in some time, leaving her desperate to see him again. To escape the heat, Anne, as well as Draco and Astoria Malfoy entered the home through the sliding glass back doors.

"Have you heard from Scorpius?" Astoria asked with a hint of worry in her voice. Lily only shook her head, as had Albus and James. "He's been so secretive lately." She sighed and Albus and James narrowed their eyes at each other.

"Maybe there's a girl." James commented, but had looked to Lily to gage her response to the notion. She Lily didn't respond to it negatively, he figured two years had been long enough for the two to move on.

"I thought I saw him with some blonde a few days ago." Deryck commented as he and Alex moved towards the kitchen as well. "I didn't see her face though."

"That's weird." Albus commented as he narrowed his eyes. "He didn't say anything about a girl when we had lunch the other day."

"Did you guys break up?" Deryck asked and Albus' face contorted into a glare aimed in Deryck's direction. "It's ok, Al. Nothing lasts forever." Deryck tried to tease him, but hadn't been able to keep a straight face and started laughing through his words.

"You're so annoying." Albus commented before he turned away. "I'm just saying that when your best friend is interested in someone, they tell you, right? Lily tells you everything, right?" He asked as his gaze paused on Anne.

Anne remained silent as she began to blush. Thinking her response was odd, Albus turned to Lily who cleverly turned away from her brother's gaze as she reached out to fill her glass with water. James and Albus, however, noticed Lily's stare in Anne's direction.

Ignoring their girlish antics, Alex looked to Albus. "Yeah, I don't know why Scorpius wouldn't tell you," Alex shrugged. "Deryck tells me everything. Everything." The emphasis had landed Alex a smack from Deryck who stood beside him.

Before the conversation could continue, the sound of the front door opening and closing caught everyone's attention. Albus' jaw had dropped at the unmistakable sound of heels clicking against the floor in rhythmic footsteps.

"Maybe he changed his style." Deryck commented and Albus picked up an apple sitting on the countertop to throw at him. Deryck had caught it easily as he began laughing. James and Alex laughed as well, while Lily and Anne smiled at the familiar feeling of all their friends together again. Everyone had frozen, however, as soon as Scorpius and the blonde girl on his arm rounded the corner.

"Congratulations on graduating!" Sophie Greene's unmistakable voice carried through the room far too easily as she took steps towards Lily and awkwardly attempted to hug her. Lily had remained perfectly still, even as Sophie brought her pink lips close to Lily's cheek and smacked them together in an effort to kiss in the manner friends would. As soon as Sophie pulled away from Lily, she made her way towards Anne, and still only the sound of Sophie's heels could be heard throughout the room.

As though sensing the drama they were far too old to be pulled into arising, Draco and Astoria quickly fled to scene to the next room where they could find pleasant conversation with Harry and Ginny rather than the disastrous moment their son had brought on Lily and Anne's graduation party.

"How was your last year at Hogwarts without me?" Sophie asked as she pulled away from an equally horrified Anne to return to Scorpius' side.

"There was a surprising drop in Quidditch related injuries." Lily quipped and the room remained tense and silent. Alex and Deryck, whose playful personalities, had wanted to lighten the mood, but both were terrified of the moment playing out before them.

"Well what are you planning to do now?" Sophie asked. It was an innocent enough question, and fitting considering their setting. If Lily hadn't known better, she'd have guessed Sophie actually cared the way she smiled and sweetly posed her question.

"I'm playing Quidditch." Lily answered carefully.

"That's good, too." Sophie replied, still holding her face in a too-perfect smile. "I've decided to do something that requires a little more intelligence."

"Really?" Lily's voice had fallen in tone and her face had changed as well. Albus could feel his stomach dropped as he watched the scene before him. It was like a bad train wreck, that none of Lily's friends could tear their eyes from. "And what might that be?"

"I'm running my own branch of Greene's Potions." Sophie answered proudly.

"Staying in your father's business then? I like to move out and be independent." Lily answered sharply, and the room fell into deathly silence.

"Is there a bathroom where I can freshen up?" Sophie quickly changed the subject and Lily only stared at her until Albus motioned to a nearby hallway. Sophie quickly turned her eyes away from Lily's cold stare to escape the room for a moment. James began to wonder exactly how far Lily and Scorpius could go in their romantic endeavors before stepping over each other's toes, and he quickly came to the understanding that Sophie Greene was way past the point of no return.

"Did you lose a bet?" Lily snapped as she moved her eyes to Scorpius.

"She's changed."

"Clearly." Lily snapped as she turned away from him. "I can't believe you just said that."

"You just have to give her a chance." Scorpius responded and still nobody but Lily responded.

"Well, in order to do that, I'll have to get over her grating voice and obnoxious behavior. And behind all that, she's still evil."

"If you had any idea how jealous you sound." Scorpius commented and swore he saw Albus and James physically step back from Lily.

"Of all the things I feel towards Sophie Greene, not one is jealousy. And I don't know what it is I would be jealous of. I hope you're not referring to yourself, because that's just sad."

"It's sad?" Scorpius repeated and Lily took a step towards him. "I think you're just mad because I have a girlfriend and you you're not dating anyone."

"That is not a girlfriend, that's a parasite. And I'm dating Deryck."

"Lily!" Deryck's eyes widened as he tried to step back, but started to stumble on what was behind him. "You said we wouldn't tell."

"You're dating Lily?" James asked, his voice clearly not displaying approval.

"Not in the way you think." Deryck answered quickly before he turned to Albus, who was slightly less mad compared to James. As he faced Scorpius, however, he couldn't help but feel as though Scorpius was far more upset at the notion than he should have been.

"So you're just leading her on?" Scorpius asked and Deryck started to shake his head.

"So now you can attack my date and yet yours is completely off limits?" Lily asked simply. She hadn't expected a response, so she turned to James right after. "And if you do anything to him, I'll owl Kate and tell her where to find you."

James paused for a moment, as though thinking about the two options before him. He glanced in Deryck's direction for a moment before he stared down at Lily again. "That's not fair," James finally muttered and Lily shrugged.

"Neither is any guy I date getting threatened by you." She answered simply. As though knowing Albus respected her personal life more than James and Scorpius ever could, Lily said nothing to him.

"You're being unreasonable." Scorpius accused as Sophie appeared the doorframe of the hallway, though neither Scorpius nor Lily noticed her presence. They were far to involved with one another to see anything else around them.

"You're insane." Lily replied. "You're the one who brought Sophie Greene. Into my house, no less. Did she hit too hard in a Quidditch game, because I think you forgot all the reasons we collectively hate her."

Sophie's face contorted as she turned away from the gazes of Albus, James, and Alex. Deryck was too concerned for his own health, and Anne was completely focused on Lily and Scorpius. In their exchange, Anne, as well as Albus, had been convinced that anything Lily and Scorpius had told them respectively about each other was composed of more lies than truths. The pair fighting before them certainly had feelings for each other, even if both were far too stubborn to admit it.

"Don't shift this onto her, Lily." Scorpius responded strongly as he stepped towards her. Lily's eyes narrowed as she held her ground. "If you're mad at me, then just say it. Even though I haven't done anything to make you mad."

"What? Now you're completely incapable of doing wrong?" Lily's voice floated through the room as though she were spouting kind words, and the irony only made the harshness of her words more pronounced. Though the words were directly solely at Scorpius, everyone in the room could feel the sting.

"Ever since that summer you've been mad at me, you just won't admit it!" Scorpius accused and Lily tore her eyes from him.

"Now you're just conceded." Lily spat, and Scorpius stared at her. Eventually, Lily met his gaze again.

"And it's not fair, Lily, that you're still mad about it because it was James and Albus who-"

"Who what?" Lily snapped as she turned her shoulders to face him more entirely. Scorpius remained silent as he stepped back. His face softened as he began to shake his head as though he could retract his words. "What did you do?" Lily's gaze turned to Albus and James, but only Albus was capable of holding her gaze with more guilt than she expected from either brother.

"We didn't say you couldn't." Albus started but Lily's face didn't soften.

"Then what did you say?" Lily's voice had lost its edge, but her brothers and Scorpius knew it wasn't from lack of anger or betrayal. They had pushed her past the edge even Sophie Greene couldn't reach, and her voice had somehow broken even if she managed to stay together for appearances.

Albus turned to James, who was obviously in favor of remaining perfectly silent. As Albus turned back to Lily, however, Scorpius and James knew neither were compelling enough to come between Lily and Albus, who had always been the closest.

"Just that you should be older before you really started dating."

Lily said nothing, and the three men she'd known her entire life had no idea what it meant. She had always been the one to express her emotions openly and dramatically, and a silent Lily were uncharted waters. Keeping her silence, Lily turned to leave the room, brushing past Scorpius.

"Lily, wait." Scorpius grabbed her wrist and Lily turned to him, forcibly ripping her wrist from his grasp as she did so. She swung her free hand, and the sound of the slap against Scorpius' cheek echoed through the room.

"I can't believe you." Lily's voice had definitely broken, but Scorpius was the only one who could hear her words. As he reached up to the red mark on his cheek, Lily continued out of the room, and only Anne dared to follow.


	10. Chapter 10

Lily and Deryck's affair ended, but neither had really expected it to last anyway. In light of the circumstances of Scorpius and Lily's previous relationship and how it ended, Deryck could not help but feel as though Lily was still attached to someone he could never compete against. Lily, who had given up on lying to herself about the matter, agreed and the two attempted to part amicably. For some time, it hadn't worked, but eventually, Lily gave up on stepping around Deryck's fragile toes. If he had wanted to remain friends, or at least friends through friends, then he was free to do so. Lily wouldn't press for anything, but she'd always been that way to some extent.

Within weeks of graduating, she decided to play for the Chudley Cannons and quickly left home. Albus and James had sent letters, attempting to get Lily to at least be mad at them, but she never responded. They didn't know if she had actually read their letters, but she had. Scorpius didn't send any, and as soon as Lily had left the room that day, he didn't see her again.

It took only a few months with her the Cannons before her career as a Chaser made headlines across several Quidditch themed magazines. After some strength training, Lily was more stable against physical hits, and her agility had improved. She had proved herself a worthy opponent against the sport's most talented Chaser, but his title had quickly been challenged after Lily got passed him several times.

If it was possible, the game between Puddlemere and the Cannons drew more publicity than any other game. Lily hadn't looked forward to the game the entire season, knowing it would be the first time she saw anybody other than her parents and Anne. Determined not to let James affect her professionalism, Lily remained stoned face in the locker room with her teammates as the coach went over their plays for the game. She could hear his voice somewhere in the background, and when she knew he was nearing an end, she forced herself to pay attention again.

"Potter, if you get emotional, you're pulled immediately." He warned and Lily allowed a smile to appear across her lips.

"Ok," She agreed simply. A few moments later, they took the field, and Lily spotted James already hovering in the center of the field. She didn't hold his gaze too long as she took her position with her fellow Chasers. As soon as the whistle sounded, Lily swooped in for the ball, as had James. When they were side by side, however, Lily knew he hadn't reached for the Quaffle at all. He'd given it to her. Again, James let Lily have a free shot on the hoops, which she had made, and when she refused to look at him, he knew he hadn't done himself any favors.

At the end of the game, as Lily was filing into the locker room with her team, she felt her coach grab her arm and pull her to the side.

"He let you have that shot."

"I know." Lily answered simply, trying not to let her emotions drive her responses.

"You can at least pretend you know me!" James' voice yelled and Lily shut her eyes. She wanted to ignore him, but eventually she turned to face him. She tore off her protective helmet and let it fall to the ground as James neared and touched to the ground.

"Why?" Lily snapped back at you. "You took it into your hands to plan out my personal life! All three of you! And what? Now you want me to pretend it's ok? And if you ever let me win again, I'll snap your wand."

Though he knew Lily's sharp tongue, her coach felt surprised she could speak in such a manner to her brother,

"Duly noted." James responded. "You could've at least let us apologize."

"Not accepted." Lily answered and James let out a sound.

"You are the most aggravating person in the world, did you know that? I feel bad for your team. I'd hate to think what would happen if they accidently took your broom."

"Don't even, James. That is not the same as what you did to me, and you know it."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what else you want."

"Leave me alone."

"Well, we've been doing that for the last nine months, Lily. Albus is afraid you'll never talk to him again, and Scorpius just about fell of the planet."

"With Sophie Greene, I hope."

James actually smiled at her comment, and in the silence Lily smiled as well. Once he thought it was safe, James reached for Lily and pulled her into his embrace. She put her arms around him as she rested her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry." James repeated softly before he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Do you work next weekend?" Lily asked as she pulled from him and he shook his head. "Make reservations somewhere. And bring Albus too."

"Where?" James asked as Lily started to walk back towards her coach and the locker room.

"Surprise me."

As promised, Lily had lunch with her brothers, Albus ecstatic to be on Lily's good side once more. Over the course of their lives, he had been deathly afraid to fall into Lily's bad grace. He had never known, however, that of all the times Lily might've been mad at him, or even those around her, things could've have been much worse. Albus had simply been unaware that earning Lily's anger could bring about complete banishment. As he embraced his little sister for the first time in what felt like years, though it was nine months at the most, made Albus feel as though the world had righted itself.

A few months after the Potters' rekindled relationship, the Quidditch season ended. Lily went home every so often to spend time with her family, though oddly enough, Scorpius never showed. Albus went to lunch often with his friend, and the two spent time together, but Scorpius could never bring himself to face Lily. Albus had more than once insisted Scorpius at least attempted to contact her, but it never happened.

At least, it never happened the way Albus had wanted.

Lily learned the news through magazine covers and bolded headlines in more than one news source. When she noticed that not every source was dismissible at foolish tabloids, she'd begun to believe what the Wizarding World was gossiping about. Some part of her remained in denial until the letter came from her coach. He wanted her, as well as her fellow Chaser, to resume practice early in the off season so that they could train with their newest team member, Scorpius Malfoy.

He explained that three years ago, when he first started watching Lily's Quidditch skills, he'd always admired the way she and Scorpius flew together. At fifteen and seventeen respectively, they were not perfect, but they were flawless together. Scorpius and Lily, even at such young ages, could replace three Chasers side by side, and as such, Scorpius was signed onto the team as soon as he agreed to a contract.

Their first practice together was tense, and their coach, as well as their third Chaser, could feel it in the air. They didn't know anything about the state of Lily and Scorpius' personal relationship; though both were aware one existed between them. It hardly seemed to matter though, since the pair flew side by side and passed the Quaffle between them effortlessly, even after a few years of not playing together.

A month of tense practing went by before they were alone in the locker rooms of the Chudley Cannon's practice arena. Lily heard the sound of Scorpius' tin locker door slamming shut and echoing off the tiled walls and floors. He was only down the corridor of lockers from her, but she didn't need to look to feel his grey eyes on her. She wanted to say something because of who she was, and who they once were. She couldn't apologize. She had no reason to. She couldn't move forward without one, and so she was left to bear the silence as best she could.

"Albus said I should apologize."

Lily drew in a deep breath as she paused. Her hand was resting on her locker door as she stared into the small space where she held her things. After a moment, she shut the door and turned to look at him. Of course, they'd looked at each other the course of their early practicing, but it never involved conversation, or even lingering glances. Now, as they stared at one another, neither were really sure of each other.

"And?" Lily responded. She didn't sound mad to him. Her voice didn't have the edge that gave away her anger, nor was her voice broken. It was as though she were simply asking a question.

"James said so too, and if James is actually in favor of a logical approach, then perhaps it's time for me to get over whatever's been holding me back."

"And what was that exactly?" Lily asked. Her edge had returned but it wasn't nearly as sharp as it could be, and Scorpius was glad for that.

Silence returned as Scorpius stepped towards Lily. He didn't know what to expect from her in return, but found it unnerving as she remained where she stood, holding her ground. "Guilt."

It was a single word that hung over them. It had clearly haunted Scorpius, but somehow enlightened Lily.

"If I couldn't forgive me, how was I supposed to ask you to?"

Surprising even herself, Lily actually smiled as she let her gaze drop. He was wearing his old Ravenclaw Quidditch socks, the ones he wore in every game and every practice, no matter if they were dirty, torn, or ripped. At the time, it had repulsed her, and now she found it quite endearing for some unknown reason.

"Sometimes it's not about you, Scorpius." Lily commented as she peered back up into his eyes. "Sometimes it's about the other person, and sometimes forgiveness, even if you think of it as underserved, can make you feel more deserving."

"Now you sound like an actual Ravenclaw."

"What does that mean?" Lily narrowed her eyes, and it was Scorpius' turn to smile.

"I don't know if this is the right time, or if a right time even exists, but I've been wondering for some time now. Years, actually. What House did the Hat want to put you in before you argued with it?"

"It takes only a simple request to change one's sorting under the hat, not an argument." Lily replied and Scorpius nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but an arguing eleven year old, stubborn Lily Potter didn't know that. And even if she did, she still argued."

Lily couldn't hold back her laughter. It amazed her, really. She could remember every detail about Scorpius when he was a child. The way he attempted to comb his hair and eventually gave up on the hopeless notion. She remembered the way his eyes brightened whenever her father taught him a new technique on the broom. She could even remember certain sentences and phrases he'd written in his letter to her so many years ago. She had no idea that he'd remembered the little bits and pieces that made up her childhood as well.

"I told you a long time ago that I let the Hat sort me based on my nature." Lily answered and Scorpius nodded in agreement as he stepped towards her again.

"I know you did. You lied to me."

"I did not." Lily responded and Scorpius held his smile and her gaze. Slowly, he reached up to tuck a strand of her red hair behind her ear and after, he pressed his palm against her warm cheek. He heard her suddenly take in a breath at the touch as her eyes shut, and realized she'd waited just as long as he had to feel such a touch again. As he gazed on her, his eyes paused at her lips, and he could not push back the thought of kissing her again.

Doing his best not to act on impulse, he leaned down to her, aligning his lips with her other ear as he kept his hand cradling her cheek in place. "I'm sorry, Lily. For ever hurting you. Ever breaking your heart. I'd never wanted that for you, and hated myself for being the one to actually cause it. That's why I couldn't face you for so long. But I'd never thought that perhaps you lingered to see me as badly as I've wanted to see you. To love you again."

He heard her breath again, and it almost sounded like a sob, but he didn't look to see if Lily's eyes had produced any tears. As his eyes drifted shut, he pulled away from her ear and placed his lips against hers. He told himself that if she did not respond to him, then he would cherish the single moment their lips met once more and never push himself into her heart again. He hoped with whatever piece of his heart was still intact, that Lily would kiss him back and open herself to him again. He knew he needed only once more chance. He would not ruin it again, and he would never crush her again.

At first, he couldn't feel any movement against his lips. He lingered, however, hoping that she might respond to him. After just a few more seconds, Scorpius forced himself to start to pull away, hoping that he might be able to bear the rejection. Before he could even open his eyes, however, he felt Lily's hands reach for his neck as she stepped closer to him. She pulled his lips down to hers and moved her lips against his, as though attempting to make up for all their lost time.


	11. Chapter 11

**I had so much fun writing this story, but it has come to an end. Thank you so much to everyone who subscribed/reviewed! It means so much when you take just a few moments to tell me what you think! I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have!**

**X**

Four years later it was the thirtieth Annual Memorial Ball for the war. Lily was twenty two, Scorpius and Albus twenty four. To celebrate, Draco and Astoria opened the Malfoy Manor for the Ball, and anyone related to the war so many years ago and their families had arrived. The Minister and his family had been there from the beginning, and anyone of power arrived as well.

Scorpius and Lily, who had never broken apart again since the day in the locker room, were dancing in the center of the tile dancer floor. Scorpius' arms were around her body, and Lily was resting against his. Over the last few years, Scorpius had ended his career as a Chaser after he and Lily realized they could not successfully play side by side while in a relationship. He could not continue on with the game as Lily fell or was injured, and eventually withdrew himself from such a situation. For the time being, Lily remained in her position, and Scorpius was known to practice with the team every so often.

As the song ended, Scorpius stepped back to peer down at Lily, his grey eyes appearing to search for something within her blue ones. She narrowed her eyes at him in confusion. "What?" She asked softly and Scorpius shook his head lightly before he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Just thinking." He answered as he wrapped his arm around her waist and walked with her off of the dance floor. Both were so focused on each other, that they hadn't realized four sets of eyes were watching them. Harry and Ginny were across the room as they watched their only daughter with the man it seemed she would spend a great deal of her life with. It was different, and they both knew it, but neither understood why. Harry had no problem with his sons and their girlfriends, serious or otherwise, and though Scorpius was absolutely perfect for Lily in his eyes, he could not force himself to let go of his little girl.

Closer to where Scorpius and Lily had moved to, Astoria and Draco watched them as well. They envied the young couple for the simplistic nature of their love affair. They had never experienced the darkness their parents had, nor had they been forced to overcome their own flaws to find love. Perhaps they did in their own way, but Scorpius had never subjected to the hardship his father faces before finding love in the soft spoken Ravenclaw at his side. They envied Scorpius and Lily, but wouldn't have it any other way. They'd sacrificed and lost friends to war so that their children could live the lives they did, and Draco especially wouldn't have changed anything in his past no matter how dark it once was.

"You never answered my question you know." Scorpius commented and Lily sighed as she knew which question was coming. She lifted a cup from the drinks table before she turned to stare up at Scorpius. "You never said which House you were supposed to be in."

"I should feel hurt that you think I'm a liar when I say I am at heart a Ravenclaw." Lily responded and Scorpius let out a dry laugh.

"But you aren't." he responded. "Because I'm right."

"You're so self satisfied aren't you?"

"If not the House, tell me why Ravenclaw."

That time, Lily laughed as she turned from Scorpius and began to walk. Scorpius followed only a step behind her. "I'd rather tell you the House." Lily admitted and Scorpius let his hand rest on her waist. They began to walk around the edges of the ballroom and stopped to speak to several people along the way. Small talk was the driving force of the Memorial Balls, and Scorpius' sweet nature made him rather exceptional at it. As such, he pulled Lily along with him until they reached Albus and James, both of whom had dates on their arms. Before any conversation could be started, however, the music stopped and the room fell silent as Alex, who made quite a living organizing the minor details of any high profile event, stood up onto the stage where the band played.

He quickly introduced the Minister and said a few words before the Minister replaced him behind the microphone. As he did every year, he gave a simple speech, praising the usual names before he stepped down during the customary applause.

"Now," Alex returned to the center of the stage and grinned in the general direction of Lily, her brothers, and Scorpius. "With the next song, I'd like to invite my very good friend Scorpius Malfoy to the dance floor with his exceptional lady, the lovely Lily Potter."

Lily sighed as she looked up at Scorpius, who grinned back at her as he motioned for her to follow him to the floor. She did her best to focus completely on Scorpius as he pulled her into his dance, their footsteps sliding together easily, but she could not completely ignore all the eyes watching them.

"What did you do?" Lily asked with a laugh as she looked up at him. He only shook his head as though he had no idea to what she was referring. As she laughed a second time, Scorpius pressed his lips to her forehead, and began to pull away from her, even though the song had not yet ended. She tried to keep hold of him, but as he reached into his pocket, Lily paused and narrowed her eyes at him.

When Scorpius bent down and held up the small ring between his thumb and forefinger, the murmuring around them suddenly became much louder in Lily's ears. She saw his lips move, mouthing the question, but she couldn't hear his voice. Nonetheless, Lily beamed as she held her hand down and let him slide the ring on without ever requiring an answer from her.

As Scorpius stood again, he wrapped his arms around Lily's body, pulling her feet off the ground. Through her laughter, she managed to put their lips together, and everything went silent to her. She didn't know how long they had stood there, but eventually other couples had joined the dance floor again.

"I love you," Scorpius whispered softly and he heard her say back as she moved closer to his body. His arms tightened around her, and his fingers played with the tips of her long hair as they continued to sway to the music. As she pushed herself onto her toes, they paused their movements, and Lily aligned her lips with his ears.

"It was Slytherin."

Scorpius only laughed as he held Lily closer to him. He was glad to know at least one of the answers he'd wanted for so long, but now it seemed less important than he remembered. As time went on, he almost forgot the second part to his question. Almost. Lily had completely forgotten, or was at least glad that Scorpius had stopped asking. She was even happier, however, that it didn't seem as though he'd told anyone her secret. She felt as though Albus or James, or even her parents, had to know, though. If Scorpius could see it, she doubted her brothers couldn't.

In her wedding dress, her hair pulled up in the most beautiful curls she'd ever worn, however, it didn't matter. She shared a dance with her father, who had eventually come to terms with the progression of Lily's life. If it had been any other man, Harry knew things would have been completely different. Even if by some chance they hadn't found each other the way they had, nobody could ever replace Scorpius in the lives of his children. He doubt Lily knew, or even remembered, but nobody could compare to the little boy who had let Lily win in a silly race when they were just children. And of all the friends Albus and James had made over the course of seven years at Hogwarts each, and beyond, none compared to Scorpius.

As Harry pressed a kiss to Lily's forehead, and handed her hand to Scorpius' he knew that if he had to let go of his little girl, Scorpius was the one to convince him of it. Or at least lessen the blow.

Night fell around the wedding party, and eventually the guests had all left. Albus and his date were alone under a small gazebo near the back of the Potter home. James' date had long ago left, and Draco and Astoria were reliving their wedding as they danced to no music in the center of the empty dance floor. Lily and Scorpius, who had already changed out of their uncomfortable dress and dress robes, were standing near the tables where the food had once been, their arms wrapped around each other.

Most couples might've left as soon as they could for their honeymoon, but Scorpius and Lily were perfectly content where they stood beneath the glowing lights, surrounded by their families. Albus, James, Lily, and Scorpius couldn't see it, but their parents saw it easily. In fact, they'd seen it years ago, but it had never been so pronounced until that moment.

After the war, so many years ago, Harry and his friends had gone one way after giving deserving gratitude's to the Malfoys. The Malfoys returned the gesture, and it seemed that after seven years of fighting endlessly, the Potter-Malfoy rivalry had been put to rest. Not necessarily mended at the time, but left in the battlefield with the bodies. Now, as the Potter-Malfoy joint family lingered after the defining moment of Lily and Scorpius' relationship, the two men and their wives were more than convinced the silly rivalry had not just been ended.

At some indefinable point in time, their children had done something they never could. They could face the evils of the world and the losses of their loved ones, but never could Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy face each other like grown adults. It'd taken then eleven year old sons to see something in each other to truly end whatever silly rivalry lingered between them. Now, older and wiser, and expecting perfectly blonde or red headed grandchildren, all four were glad of it. But the four children who had truly been the cause for the change remained oblivious as they laughed at each other and defended one another, even if they were wrong.

Lily and Scorpius were more in tune to their parents' odd relationship than her brothers, but still never realized the full extent. Ignoring it, as it would never really bother them, Lily and Scorpius focused only on each other that night. Scorpius kissed the top of her head, not caring if it misplaced a few of her strands. Even when she was sure he'd messed up her hair, she looked perfect to him.

Smiling, Lily peered up at Scorpius and the two began to laugh at nothing in particular. As he reach up to push her hair from her face, he pulled a falling pin from her hair and held it out to her but not before noticing the emerald embedded in the silver.

"So, my Slytherin bride," Scorpius grinned and Lily sighed heavily. "Why did you join us smart Ravenclaws?"

"Does it matter?" Lily responded and Scorpius nodded.

"You wanted to be in Gryffindor. You wanted that more than anything."

"There was only one position left as Chaser on the Gryffindor team, so I went with second best."

"Don't try to fool me." Scorpius laughed as he kissed her. "Albus wasn't a Chaser when you were eleven."

Lily sighed heavily as she rested her head on his chest. Silence fell around them, but Scorpius knew she was close to answering the lingering question. Eventually, she lifted her eyes to meet his.

"Why not go with your brothers?"

Lily shrugged at first before Scorpius kissed her forehead. "I wanted to be with you."


End file.
